First Nations leaders provide national response to King’s Speech

By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

(ANNews) – First Nations leaders from across Canada gathered in Ottawa to provide a unified response to the May 27 Speech from the Throne delivered by King Charles III, with a statement from some of the leaders highlighting the “profound gap between ceremonial gestures and the reality of unfulfilled Treaty obligations.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney asked the King to deliver this year’s Speech from the Throne, normally delivered by the governor general as the King’s representative in Canada, as a symbol of Canada’s independence from the United States. 

A small group of First Nations leaders were invited to the Senate for the King’s speech as dignitaries, including Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Grand Chief Kyra Wilson. 

In a joint news release from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Confederation of Treaty 6 First Nations, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) and AMC, Wilson said she finds it “concerning that not all First Nations leadership were present or included in this historical moment.”

Grand Chief Wilson struck a more optimistic tone at an Ottawa news conference responding to the Speech from the Throne, noting that it’s a positive development that the King mentioned Indigenous rights and reconciliation in his speech.

“That makes me hopeful [for] the renewed relationship that we can have as First Nations people with the Crown,” she said. “Going forward, my hope is that Canada can respect our Treaties, respect who we are as First Nations people and work together, because we are not going away.”

FSIN Vice Chief David Pratt of Muscowpetung First Nation, located 65 km northwest of Regina, called on Carney “to meaningfully engage our chiefs.”

“Don’t just placate us with nice words. That day and age is over,” said Vice Chief Pratt. “Don’t come and try to take resources out of our backyards without sitting first with our Elders and treating us with the respect that we deserve.” 

Carney has come under criticism from First Nations leaders, as well as labour, climate and faith groups, for legislation enabling projects deemed to be in the “national interest” to receive approval before moving through regulatory and consultation processes.

In the Throne Speech, which is written by the government but delivered by the Crown, King Charles said the government wants to reduce the average timeline for approving major projects to two years from five. 

Pratt called it “a shame” that not a single Cabinet minister or representative of the Crown attended the First Nations’ pipe ceremony on Parliament Hill. 

He added that it would be a meaningful gesture for the King to return to Canada to visit Treaty First Nations, with the 150th anniversary of Treaty 5 coming up in the fall and Treaty 6 occurring next year. 

Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations Grand Chief Greg Desjarlais, who also serves as the chief of Frog Lake First Nation in eastern Alberta, said he was “very disappointed” that the King spoke of reconciliation without any mention of the Treaties. 

“I’m grateful to be here to share some words, to encourage each and every one of you, the chiefs, to keep pushing, for the people to get behind the chiefs, the leadership, and not to fight,” said Desjarlais. 

Chief Derek Nepinak of the Minegoziibe Anishinabe, located on the western shore of Lake Winnipegosis in Manitoba, was another chief invited to the Senate to hear the Speech from the Throne. 

He told First Nations people to “get ready” for the government fast-tracking resource projects.

“This is the time for us to be prepared for what’s next. Some of you can participate, some of us won’t, but let’s protect the water first,” said Chief Nepinak. “That’s the most important thing we have.”

Chief Kelsey Jacko of Cold Lake First Nations in Treaty 6 said he was one of the First Nations leaders who “travelled across Turtle Island hoping to speak to the King of the nation we entered into Treaty with.”

“I know he is busy, but imagine if you haven’t seen your business partner in 150 years,” said Jacko. 

He called on King Charles to collaborate with Prime Minister Carney to establish a Royal Commission on Treaty in the 21st Century to uphold and affirm Treaty rights in the face of changing biodiversity and growing loss of water. 

Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi of Treaty 8 First Nations in Alberta, in which the oil sands are located, noted the amount of “resource revenue … coming from our lands each and every day while our people are suffering.” 

“Our people come here in duress today. We don’t come here with peace on our minds,” said Mercredi, the former chief of Beaver First Nation. 

He added that it was “unacceptable” that most Treaty First Nations leaders were forced to stand “outside here on the sidewalks” while King Charles spoke in the Senate. 

When the King spoke of “barriers and red tape removal, he’s talking about us,” said Mercredi. 

National Dene Chief George Mackenzie, who represents five First Nations in the Northwest Territories, contrasted the “modern infrastructure” in downtown Ottawa with the “broken windows” and poverty on First Nations reserves. 

“Our young people should be strong in their culture, language, can survive on the land and be proud of it, [and] at the same time, be the best they can be in education,” said Chief Mackenzie. “We need to be given that opportunity.”

Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro of Mikisew Cree First Nation in Treaty 8 noted that there are few things all Treaty First Nations leaders can agree on. 

“Among the chiefs, we all have different agendas, but one thing we have in common is the Treaty, and we must fight for that for the future generations to come,” he said. 

He said the government’s promise to reduce project approval timelines by 60 per cent is “very alarming” for members of his community, given the impact of tar sands mining on their health. 

Addressing the federal government, Dene Tha’ First Nation Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza emphasized the “shared journey” of reconciliation. 

“It requires more than promises. It requires action. It requires you to listen to our stories, understand our struggles and work with us to address the wrongs of the past and present,” he said. 

“It requires you to honour the Treaties, not as historical documents but as living agreements that are vital to our collective future.”

To his fellow First Nations leaders, Hooka-Nooza offered a message of hope, “for it is hope that sustains us and guides us towards the future generation.”