Treaty 6 anniversary marred by concerns over Alberta secession referendum

Communities within Treaty 6 are observing the 150-year anniversary of the 1876 agreement, but the planned Alberta independence referendum has cast a shadow over the celebrations. Grand Chief Joey Pete of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations cautions that the province's push for a secession vote endangers treaty-guaranteed health, education and hunting rights, emphasizing that the Crown, not Alberta, is the treaty partner.

Legal scholar Janice Makokis notes that federal funding tied to those rights would be jeopardized if Alberta left Canada. A provincial court recently nullified a petition supporting the referendum after finding the government had not fulfilled its duty to consult First Nations; Premier Danielle Smith called the ruling “anti-democratic.” The Alberta government has appealed the decision, while separatist groups assert treaty obligations would continue in an independent province, a claim rejected by some First Nations leaders such as Chief Vernon Watchmaker.