Latest news with #TreatyRights
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sask. First Nations leaders among those at summit with prime minister about Bill C-5
Saskatchewan First Nation leaders were among those in Gatineau, Que., this week for a summit with Prime Minister Mark Carney designed to allay concerns about Bill C-5, which is aimed at fast-tracking national infrastructure projects. The bill already passed before the summit. Grand Chief Brain Hardlotte from the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) was in attendance. He described it as an interesting day, but said he left even more confused about what the bill means for PAGC communities. "Without discussions, I wouldn't really call this a consultation," Hardlotte said. "Consultation happens before anything, any development, or in this case legislation." Harlotte compared the bill to the Natural Resource Transfer Agreements (NRTA) signed between Canada and the Prairie provinces in 1930, without First Nations consultation. He called the NRTA, "a direct threat to Indigenous sovereignty, our treaty rights and longstanding responsibilities under international law." He used Uranium City, in Saskatchewan's far north, as an example of what can happen when governments and corporations act without Indigenous oversight. Hardlotte said mining companies extracted everything, then left a mess of abandoned mine sites and polluted lakes. "Our people are hunters, fishers, and trappers and these are treaty rights," Hardlotte said. "Because of the NRTA our rights have been eroded, and violated, and all the injustices that have been done to our people are because of this legislation." Chief Marcel Head from Shoal Lake Cree Nation was also present for Thursday's summit in Ottawa. He said his community needs to benefit from the natural resources and minerals that are extracted from it. "We never gave up our land, we never gave up our resources when we signed the treaty," he said. "It is time that Shoal Lake stand up, along with Red Earth Cree Nation, to take back what is rightfully ours, and start benefiting from the resources that have been historically extracted out of our traditional territory." Head noted that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 5, and said the spirit and intent of the treaty was not only to share the land, but also the resources. "Do we see that today among both levels of government? No," Head said. Contention and distrust John Desjarlais is the executive director of Indigenous Resource Network, an organization that advocates for workers, business owners and communities who support Indigenous inclusion in the natural resources sector. He said Bill C-5 prioritizes Indigenous participation in major projects. "[The bill] is a strong signal. It's certainly a statement of platitude. I think it's on the government to take action and build further trust with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities," Desjarlais said. He said First Nations across Canada have had a variety of experiences with government through the years, many of them bad. "There is a lot of contention, there's a lot of distrust," he said. At the same time, he said there are good examples of how the country can move together in good faith. "We've seen a lot of recent project developments," he said. "I think we can learn more in terms of achieving consent, achieving equitable involvement where Indigenous people are much more meaningfully involved, and in some cases co-governing and co- managing infrastructure projects." He said First Nations deserve to benefit from development and that Bill C-5 could help with that. "It's economic reconciliation," said Desjarlais. "Indigenous communities are tired of burying the environmental risk … and should be involved in the management of that risk and of course the reward."
CBC
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Sask. First Nations leaders among those at summit with prime minister about Bill C-5
Saskatchewan First Nation leaders were among those in Gatineau, Que., this week for a summit with Prime Minister Mark Carney designed to allay concerns about Bill C-5, which is aimed at fast-tracking national infrastructure projects. The bill already passed before the summit. Grand Chief Brain Hardlotte from the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) was in attendance. He described it as an interesting day, but said he left even more confused about what the bill means for PAGC communities. "Without discussions, I wouldn't really call this a consultation," Hardlotte said. "Consultation happens before anything, any development, or in this case legislation." Harlotte compared the bill to the Natural Resource Transfer Agreements (NRTA) signed between Canada and the Prairie provinces in 1930, without First Nations consultation. He called the NRTA, "a direct threat to Indigenous sovereignty, our treaty rights and longstanding responsibilities under international law." He used Uranium City, in Saskatchewan's far north, as an example of what can happen when governments and corporations act without Indigenous oversight. Hardlotte said mining companies extracted everything, then left a mess of abandoned mine sites and polluted lakes. "Our people are hunters, fishers, and trappers and these are treaty rights," Hardlotte said. "Because of the NRTA our rights have been eroded, and violated, and all the injustices that have been done to our people are because of this legislation." Chief Marcel Head from Shoal Lake Cree Nation was also present for Thursday's summit in Ottawa. He said his community needs to benefit from the natural resources and minerals that are extracted from it. "We never gave up our land, we never gave up our resources when we signed the treaty," he said. "It is time that Shoal Lake stand up, along with Red Earth Cree Nation, to take back what is rightfully ours, and start benefiting from the resources that have been historically extracted out of our traditional territory." Head noted that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 5, and said the spirit and intent of the treaty was not only to share the land, but also the resources. "Do we see that today among both levels of government? No," Head said. Contention and distrust John Desjarlais is the executive director of Indigenous Resource Network, an organization that advocates for workers, business owners and communities who support Indigenous inclusion in the natural resources sector. He said Bill C-5 prioritizes Indigenous participation in major projects. "[The bill] is a strong signal. It's certainly a statement of platitude. I think it's on the government to take action and build further trust with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities," Desjarlais said. He said First Nations across Canada have had a variety of experiences with government through the years, many of them bad. "There is a lot of contention, there's a lot of distrust," he said. At the same time, he said there are good examples of how the country can move together in good faith. "We've seen a lot of recent project developments," he said. "I think we can learn more in terms of achieving consent, achieving equitable involvement where Indigenous people are much more meaningfully involved, and in some cases co-governing and co- managing infrastructure projects." He said First Nations deserve to benefit from development and that Bill C-5 could help with that. "It's economic reconciliation," said Desjarlais. "Indigenous communities are tired of burying the environmental risk … and should be involved in the management of that risk and of course the reward."
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
First Nation seeking court ruling on Alberta ending coal mining moratorium
Teepees stand surrounded by fall foliage as the Bow River flows on the Siksika Nation, east of Calgary., Thursday, Sept. 28, CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh< In an application for judicial review filed this week, Siksika Nation says Alberta failed in its duty to consult when in January it lifted its moratorium on new coal mining projects on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Siksika Nation, 95 kilometres east of Calgary, says the effects of coal mining in the Rockies threaten Treaty rights and the land that supports its livelihood. It's the second time Siksika Nation has challenged a United Conservative Party government's coal mining decisions. When Alberta lifted its long-standing coal policy in 2020, Siksika challenged the move in court, but proceedings were discontinued the following year when public outrage spurred the province to reinstate the policy. That policy flip-flop prompted coal companies to sue Alberta for a combined $16 billion, arguing that the reinstatement and effective moratorium amounted to expropriation of land. The province recently reached settlements with two companies involved in the lawsuit for undisclosed amounts. Energy Minister Brian Jean's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. -- Jack Farrell This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First Nation seeking court ruling on Alberta ending coal mining moratorium
EDMONTON — An Alberta First Nation is asking a judge to review the provincial government's decision earlier this year to end its moratorium on coal mining. In an application for judicial review filed this week, Siksika Nation says Alberta failed in its duty to consult when in January it lifted its moratorium on new coal mining projects on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Siksika Nation, 95 kilometres east of Calgary, says the effects of coal mining in the Rockies threaten Treaty rights and the land that supports its livelihood. It's the second time Siksika Nation has challenged a United Conservative Party government's coal mining decisions. When Alberta lifted its long-standing coal policy in 2020, Siksika challenged the move in court, but proceedings were discontinued the following year when public outrage spurred the province to reinstate the policy. That policy flip-flop prompted coal companies to sue Alberta for a combined $16 billion, arguing that the reinstatement and effective moratorium amounted to expropriation of land. The province recently reached settlements with two companies involved in the lawsuit for undisclosed amounts. Energy Minister Brian Jean's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
First Nation sues province for failing to protect the Cumberland House delta
Cumberland House Cree Nation (CHCN) is suing the Saskatchewan government for failing to protect its most vital resource: the Saskatchewan River Delta, North America's largest inland delta. On Tuesday the First Nation, situated in the marshy forest in northcentral Saskatchewan near the Manitoba border, filed a lawsuit against the province for infringing its constitutionally protected Treaty rights to maintain its way of life. 'In Treaty No. 5, CHCN's ancestors agreed to share the lands and waters of its territory with settlers. In exchange, the Crown promised that CHCN would be able to continue to hunt, fish and trap, and maintain its way of life,' the First Nation said in a news release Tuesday. 'The Saskatchewan River Delta is a place of outstanding ecological importance. It has historically been a wetland of astonishing productivity, providing habitat for vast populations of migratory birds, furbearing animals and fish.' Now, the First Nation says the vital wetland is in 'ecological crisis' and drying up because of industrial and agricultural activities upstream — including hydroelectric dams, irrigation and fertilizer-intensive farming. It says animal and fish populations have plummeted, and the water is no longer safe to drink. 'For far too long the Province of Saskatchewan has disregarded the Delta and our rights,' Cumberland House Cree Nation Chief Rene Chaboyer said in the release. 'Cumberland House Cree Nation is suing the province for approving and supporting these industries 'without any credible plan for managing their cumulative impacts on the delta.' An environmental consultant working with Cumberland House says the delta provides an irreplaceable service to the broader climate. 'The continued degradation of the Delta due to a lack of responsible management would result in the loss of one of Canada's largest carbon sinks and irreversible impacts upon wildlife populations,' said Aaron Kuchirka, founder of Climate Smart Services. This is not the first time Cumberland House Cree Nation has sued to protect the delta. In 2023, it sued the provincial Water Security Agency and SaskPower after it renewed the licence for two upstream hydroelectric facilities nearby, the E.B. Campbell Dam and the Nipawin Dam. In those cases, and later in a 2024 appeal, the First Nation argued the two Crowns failed to meet their duty to consult when SaskPower's licences were renewed for the two dams. The claims were later dismissed. It remains to be seen what a King's Bench judge will make of the current case, which is broader in scope. Cumberland House Cree Nation is located about 450 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, adjacent to the Northern Village of Cumberland House, the oldest community in Saskatchewan and one with historic ties to the fur trade and the Hudson's Bay Company.
