King Charles concerned about Alberta separatist movement, First Nation chief says | King Charles III
King Charles expressed concern about the simmering separatist movement in Western Canada, according to indigenous leaders who met with the head of state at Buckingham Palace.
Treaty Confederation Members of the Confederation of Six First Nations traveled from their territory in the province of Alberta to London to raise the alarm over the separatist movement, saying it ignored key treaties signed between First Nations and the crown nearly 150 years ago.
Sunchild First Nation grand chief Joey Pete said the delegation ” [Charles] He is aware of the problem of separatism in Alberta and the threat it poses to the Treaty,” he said in a statement saying the monarch appeared “concerned.”[d] and we are determined to learn more.”
A minority of residents of the oil-rich province in Canada’s west have long argued that the province’s troubles stem from the structure of payments to the federal government and a perceived inability to bring its vast fossil fuel reserves to market. Alberta generally has the highest GDP per capita and highest average income in the country.
Organizers of the independence movement in Alberta are currently collecting signatures to trigger a referendum there and have tried to enlist the help of officials in Washington. The pro-independence campaign is traveling across the state as organizers try to collect nearly 178,000 signatures over the next few months. The group has publicly stated that it is seeking a $500 billion loan facility from the US treasury to help establish a new country if the referendum is successful.
The province’s top Indigenous leaders have warned that secession is not possible without consulting treaty holders whose treaties date back to before Alberta was established as a province in Canada.
The relationship between Indigenous peoples and the British royal family is a nuanced one: Canadian history is full of broken promises, dispossessions, and outright attempts to erase Indigenous cultures. But this connection has its roots in treaties signed in the 1700s, before the country of Canada existed.
Treaty Six was signed in 1876, governing relations between First Nations and the crown in lands within the present province of Alberta. Alberta became a province in 1905.
Pete said he wanted Charles to issue a royal proclamation “reaffirming our sacred covenant relationship and sovereign rights” following a meeting of “treaty partners and equals”.
Alberta’s premier, Danielle Smith, who has rejected the idea of separation and said she “supports a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” is facing growing criticism that her government recently made it easier for residents to petition for a referendum.
Chief Desmond Bull, who attended the meeting with the King, said the leaders spoke “directly” to Charles about the international consequences of the threats facing “our treaties” and Canada’s continued failure to meet its treaty obligations.
Bull, a member of the St. Louis Bull Tribe, said the king took the matter “very seriously.”
Both leaders formally invited Charles to attend the 150th commemoration of the Sixth Treaty celebrations in Edmonton in August, saying the king’s attendance “will be a powerful symbol of the Crown’s commitment to the Treaty relationship.”
Mark Carney is due to meet Charles on Monday and told reporters the chiefs had a “pretty heated discussion” with the monarch ahead of the visit.
“His Majesty, from all my experience, has a keen interest in the rights of Indigenous peoples,” the Prime Minister said.
