'Separatist rhetoric' in Alberta is 'harmful and divisive for all': FSIN

Laura Sciarpelletti · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations is raising the alarm astir the anticipation of a referendum successful Alberta implicit separation.

On Tuesday, the time aft the Liberals won the national election, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tabled a measure that would marque it easier for voters determination to unit recalls and referendums.

First Nations leaders successful Alberta accused her of "attempting to manufacture a nationalist unity situation by enabling a referendum connected separatism."

The FSIN, which represents 74 First Nations successful Saskatchewan, said successful a property merchandise Thursday that Smith's connection to little thresholds for citizen-initiated referendums, which could pb to a ballot connected separation, fundamentally ignores the nation-to-nation treaties signed betwixt First Nations and the Crown.

The federation sees "separatist rhetoric arsenic harmful and divisive for all, distracting from the existent enactment of gathering a stronger, much unified Canada that besides respects First Nations inherent and pact rights and sovereignty," the merchandise said.

"As a reminder, we are the First Peoples of these lands and waters," FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron was quoted arsenic saying successful the release.

"Those that privation to permission are escaped to bash truthful but each the lands, waters, and resources are First Nations, and were negotiated successful the assorted treaties crossed Turtle Island," helium said.

"Our treaties were and are inactive present agelong earlier the alleged occidental provinces became provinces."

Provincial boundaries were established aft galore treaty territories were defined, the federation noted. The numbered treaties were signed betwixt 1871 and 1921. Both Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces successful 1905.

Cameron said the signed treaties are constitutionally protected planetary agreements, and therefore cannot beryllium "unilaterally altered" by provincial governments.

"Any process of separation that fails to honour the existent tone and intent of our treaties would interruption some law and planetary law," Cameron said successful the federation's quality release. 

"These treaties were made with the Crown, not with provinces, and they stay binding careless of governmental aspirations."

Separation concerns not caller for First Nations: prof

University of Regina professor and pact rights adept Danette Starblanket says if a referendum connected secession came up successful Saskatchewan, First Nations would instrumentality a strong stand, successful the aforesaid mode Indigenous people did during the separatist question successful Quebec successful the 1970s, and would fight hard for their pact rights successful the courts. 

"We were precise alert of those positions of First Nations successful Quebec. And what it is is taking that basal to asseverate your rights and that volition happen," said Starblanket.

"So we're starting to spot that hap now. We saw what happened with Idle No More movements, for example. And truthful [separation] is not going to hap easily."

There are six main treaty territories successful Saskatchewan, which the prof says are precise strong. There are 5 successful Alberta.

Following Monday's election, Smith vowed to support Alberta against "future hostile acts" from the national government, but said her authorities won't beforehand a separation vote.

But Starblanket said any suggestion of separation by Smith would be "absolutely retired of line." 

"She has perfectly nary grounds to marque immoderate assertion that she has a spot to beryllium capable to speech astir Alberta, the state of Alberta, pulling retired of Canada," said Starblanket.

"And that's not portion of what we agreed to erstwhile we opened up these lands for colony and we allowed newcomers, we allowed settlers onto these territories truthful that they could person amended lives and unrecorded the bully beingness alongside us."

Starblanket praised the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations' nationalist statement.

"I deliberation what the FSIN is saying is perfectly successful enactment with what the elders and what our pact knowledge-keepers person ever said. We did not cede oregon surrender immoderate of our lands," Starblanket said.

She besides has a connection for some Smith and Saskatchewan's premier.

"I'd invitation Premier Danielle Smith and Scott Moe, for that matter … to punctual themselves and to amended themselves connected pact rights and onshore rights and inherent rights."

WATCH | Sask. Premier Scott Moe says separation speech a scare tactic: