Alberta independence backers debate indigenous rights

A panel of Alberta sovereignty backers debated how to address indigenous rights, the majority suggesting that special rights based on ancestry should not continue.The panel shared their perspectives at the Reclaiming Canada Conference in Calgary on Saturday, organized by citizens' organization We Unify."There is no them and us," Bruce Pardy, professor of law at Queen’s University, said of the indigenous and non-indigenous. "We are all people, individual people by the same law.”Western Standard columnist Cory Morgan, one of the founders of the Alberta Independence Party in 2000, was emphatic: "The worst thing we can do, while building a whole new constitution, is to entrench 'them and us' into a constitution as we have today. The only thing I want to see in a constitution are citizens. That's it."Dr. Dennis Modry outlined a pragmatic transition strategy that would fundamentally reshape Indigenous economic relationships. "We can solve the problem of economic parity by getting rid of taxation," he explained. "We can solve the problem of justice parity by having a single justice system."The legal and constitutional challenges are significant. The current Alberta Citizen Initiative Act prevents referendum questions that might contradict existing Aboriginal rights protections. Bruce Pardy described this as a deliberate mechanism to "tie your hands" and prevent a different constitution in this regard."There is also a provision in the Referendum Act...that says, similarly, that nothing will touch Aboriginal rights," Pardy explained. "The Alberta government, they are telling you that you are not allowed to choose a future that does not include the Canadian system.".Alberta Prosperity Project CEO Mitch Sylvestre said the question did not need a firm resolution at this time. "Collaboration doesn't have to be settled until after we win the referendum," he stated. The immediate goal is achieving independence, with Indigenous rights negotiations to follow.Pardy proposed a radical property transition plan, suggesting that reserve lands be converted into individual land titles. "You take the reserves and give to each individual who belongs to that group titled over a plot of land," he explained. The objective is to dismantle collective land ownership structures that he argues disadvantage Indigenous individuals.Modry suggested this could be "a unique opportunity for First Nations to transition to freedom" from what he characterized as oppressive current governmental structures. Panelists suggested that consultation needed to be done with individual band members, not the leadership which currently benefits from the power to keep or redistribute money from Ottawa.Morgan warned that a new Alberta constitution that included special rights for some groups would perpetuate current problems. "We start seeing splitting within a constitution, we are right back to where we're at, and we're going to have more generations of conflict."Pardy dramatically positioned the sovereignty movement as potentially saving "Western civilization itself," arguing that Alberta could "reinvent" what a free society might look like..Modry agreed the world was paying attention. "Freedom lovers around the world are watching what happens in Alberta. They're praying that if we're successful, it will definitely create a pathway, a hope for the future,” he said.The current constitutional framework makes challenging Aboriginal rights protections extremely difficult. As Pardy noted, existing statutes essentially prevent Albertans from "choosing a future that does not include the Canadian system."The panel advocated for a complete legal reset that would treat all citizens identically and limit the jurisdiction of government over the indigenous and non-indigenous alike. Modry said under the new arrangement, "Government has no power, has no control, except under specific circumstances,”The panel envisioned a time when it would not only be transactions and money on reserves that would be tax-free, as it is in Canada. Instead, as Pardy put it, the goal is a system "governed by the state that is not allowed to take taxes from you.”Sylvestre expressed optimism, believing the sovereignty movement is "very winnable” and encouraged grassroots engagement. "What it's going to take is for you to talk to your friends, your neighbors, your family, and talk to everybody and be disciples of the project,” he said."Understand that this is the opportunity that we will never get again."

Alberta independence backers debate indigenous rights

Related Stories