Alberta First Nations leaders call out province over Bill 54

A group of First Nations chiefs in Alberta are calling out Alberta Premier Danielle Smith over recently introduced Bill 54 — which would lower the threshold for referendums — meaning Albertans could be voting on separation.

“The Premier is inciting a vulnerable group of people and using legislation and using legislation to enable them to do her dirty work, the dirty work is to push a dangerously divisive referendum on separation,” said Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro, of Mikisew Cree First Nation.

Chief Sheldon Sunshine, of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, adds, “For 125 years, we have shared this status territory with our treaty partners, such as all of you here today, and Ms. Smith, and we’ve upheld our end of the treaties. But [in] contrast to the premier’s statement, she is clueless about treaties and the sacred covenants made at the time of treaty making. “

The legislation would lower the number of signatures required for a ballot question to 177,000. 

With Alberta separatist sentiment stirring following a federal liberal win, the chiefs are accusing Smith of stirring division and ignoring federal treaty rights with Bill 54. 

The premier’s office referred CityNews to statements she made Thursday, saying the legislation is meant to put citizen initiatives to a vote, adding supporting a sovereign Alberta within Canada.

“It’s affirming our constitution, it is doing the kind of advocacy that we have, and engaging in diplomacy, to find a path forward. I did that in my very first conversation with Mark Carney’s predecessor,” said Smith on Thursday.

An online petition in support of Alberta separation has over 220,000 signatures as of Friday.

Alberta lawyer Jeffrey Rath tells CityNews he’ll be ready with petition signatures to put separation to a vote as soon a Bill 54 becomes law. 

“I’m hearing internally that we’re already somewhere over a quarter of a million signatures, and we’ll likely have 600,000 by the end of May, and a million by June is our goal,” said Rath.

Rath says he believes there are multiple tax, resource, and wealth benefits to Alberta leaving Canada and becoming its own country. Adding, under his separated Alberta, treaty rights would be respected, and Indigenous people would have a better relationship with an independent Alberta than with Ottawa. 

“A real opportunity for Indigenous nations in Alberta to negotiate constitutionalized, resource revenue sharing, and a far better relationship than they currently have with the Government of Canada. “