Last Saturday, a large crowd of people rallied for Alberta’s independence in front of the legislature in Edmonton. Disappointed that the federal election didn’t deliver their preferred result, many in the group felt a boost when the government of Alberta introduced Bill 54, which will lower the threshold for citizens to trigger a referendum. But that bill has also stirred up anger with another group: Indigenous peoples across the province.
Several First Nations leaders across Alberta have argued the law blatantly disregards Treaty rights. Many in our communities, including in my home Nation of Fort McKay, are outraged and emotional — and understandably so. But today I invite all frustrated Albertans to consider wisdom drawn from the path towards reconciliation.
Anger and alienation towards the government is a feeling that’s all too familiar for Indigenous peoples. The failed extermination of Indigenous cultures, languages and traditions fuelled those exact emotions, and far worse, for generations. Those sentiments have run deep, and have been an unfortunate fact of life with roots dating back before Canada’s Confederation.
But despite having more reasons than anyone to be bitter and resentful, Indigenous peoples are overwhelmingly rejecting separatism. We respect the Treaty relationship we made with the Crown. At times we have had to fight in the courts and negotiate hard to enforce the Treaties, but we have not walked away from the Treaty relationship.
Thanks to that determination, some Indigenous people of today’s generation are starting to see results — tangible improvements to their lives that are directly tied to our demand to be treated with the dignity and respect called for under our treaties with the Crown. But progress is uneven.
In truth, we are only on the first few steps of the road towards reconciliation. For Fort McKay First Nation, that has included making strides on economic reconciliation. After decades of work, today we are both a strong partner in the energy sector that drives Alberta’s economy, and we are environmental stewards developing innovative solutions to protect our land for the future. We got there by working hard, acting in good faith, and being persistent. We built our own financial success, one contract and one company at a time. When we needed to, we fought hard: we first negotiated and then litigated the Moose Lake Accord, which created a protected zone preserving our traditional lands from expanding oilsands development.
Our Nation is a living example of how a commitment to reconciliation and respect for Treaty rights can generate results. We advanced our interests by being reliable partners, using reason, and playing the long game.
Today, Canada is at a crossroads. We are living in a tense, critical time when Canadians’ livelihoods are threatened by a neighbour to the south. The pressure on leaders to make the right decisions is enormous. But the rewards for accomplishing it would be tremendous. For Indigenous peoples, that includes getting a permanent, overdue seat at the table, using new tools to forge our own prosperity, and creating better lives for our children.
Despite the many real frustrations, the threats to our economy have aligned the people of Canada on common goals to a degree that would astonish our ancestors.
A recent poll from Angus Reid shows a clear majority of Canadians, including in Quebec, support expanding the country’s oil and gas pipelines to reach new markets and secure our economy. The federal Liberal and Conservative parties, which together will make up 90 per cent of the seats in the new House of Commons, agree that there is an urgent need to get our natural resources to fresh customers, and to build the infrastructure to do it. In a recent report, RBC pointed out that 73 per cent of the major energy projects that are currently planned for Canada would run through Indigenous territory. For both Canada and Alberta, there is a clear path to opportunity, and the public will to take it.
As human beings, we must always acknowledge our own emotions. Frustrated community voices also have a right to be heard. But it is our responsibility as leaders to act practically, and to be constructive. We must not make a challenging situation even more fraught by feeding our most destructive instincts. The stakes, and rewards, are great enough already.
We must meet the moment. It’s time for us to put the division aside, and get to work together.
Special to National Post
Raymond Powder is the Chief of Fort McKay First Nation, in Northern Alberta.
