FSIN says Saskatchewan First Act interferes with Treaty lands, calls for its rejection
The Assembly of First Nations National Chief says she supports First Nations leaders and is calling for an emergency resolution to reject the Saskatchewan First Act and the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act before the bills become legislation.
“These two acts are really seeking to extend provincial authority into federal and Treaty jurisdiction, and therefore are interfering with treaty lands,” said Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief RoseAnne Archibald
The Saskatchewan First Act would allow the province to claim exclusive jurisdiction over natural resources and development.
AFN Chief Archibald and First Nations leaders from Treaty Six and Treaty Seven are prompting the province address their concerns and support an emergency resolution titled, the Rejection of the Saskatchewan First and Alberta Sovereignty with a United Canada Act. They described their position at a press conference Wednesday morning in Ottawa.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations' (FSIN) third Vice-Chief Aly Bear spoke at a press conference alongside the AFN chief and chiefs from Treaty Six and Seven in Alberta.
“There hasn't been any duty to consult. There hasn’t been a proper process when it comes to speaking to our First Nations and discussing resource revenue sharing,” said Vice-Chief Bear.
She is prompting the federal government to stand with FSIN to oppose the act.
“Because Treaties are with the Crown and those relationship are sacred and we have to need to continue to ensure we are honouring those Treaties,” she said.
Saskatchewan’s Minister of Justice Bronwyn Eyre says nothing in the bill “diminishes” from Section 35 of the Constitution to protect Treaty rights, and the duty to consult is engrained in existing legislation. Eyre said the act was about protecting the economy.
“There was nothing new that was really being undertaken here in terms of First Nations rights, certainly, other than asserting jurisdiction over natural resources, which benefits everyone in the province,” said Erye.
She says Bill 92-A was used to argue against the federal government to oppose carbon tax, and the Saskatchewan First Act will help quantify irrefutable harm.
“This really is about protecting natural resources and everything that we can achieve together, together with First Nations and together as a province and that's where we stand,” said Erye when the act was first introduced on November 1.
To date, the provinces of Quebec, Alberta, and Saskatchewan have introduced sovereignty acts.
“This is going to be a domino effect so I call on the federal government to stand with us, because the Treaties are with us because the treaties are with the crown, and those relationships are sacred,” said FSIN third Vice-Chief Aly Bear.
Saskatchewan First Act passed its second reading in the legislature on Monday.
The Saskatchewan First Act asserts the province's exclusive jurisdiction under the Constitution of Canada in the areas of exploration of non-renewable natural resources, the development, conservation and management of renewable and non-renewable resources, and the operation of sites and facilities to generate electricity.
Bear says in the spirit of reconciliation First Nations should have been consulted before tabling an act of this nature, and the province has done little to include them in the process of natural resource development.
“We’re asking the government to sit down with us and to have conversations. Let’s talk about moving forward together,” said Bear.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Storage shed or shipping container? B.C. Supreme Court settles long-running bylaw dispute
A long-running dispute over whether a structure on a Surrey property violates a city bylaw that prohibits shipping containers on residential lots has been settled by the B.C. Supreme Court