Lawyers for the Alberta government say collecting signatures for a potential referendum on Alberta separatism doesn’t violate treaty rights nor would holding a vote.
Neil Dobson has told an Edmonton courtroom that the need for consulting First Nations on the matter hasn’t emerged because the province isn’t taking action yet.
Multiple First Nations are challenging the constitutionality of the province’s citizen-initiated referendum process in a multi-day hearing this week.
Lawyers for the First Nations argue the referendum process and its use by separatists in their ongoing petition campaign to force a vote violates treaty rights, including the duty to consult.
Dobson says there’s likely only a need for consultation if a referendum passes and if the province wants to leave Canada.
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Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation is seeking an injunction to put the petition on pause, while Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy are seeking a stay preventing confirmation of the petition’s results until there’s a court decision.
Whether it does or does not is not the issue anyway. Most separatists in Alberta just like those in Quebec have never read the process for a province to seperate from the country. It is long and complicated and the separatists don’t get the only vote. Even if and that’s a big IF they got the votes most of us would never live long enough to see it. We have bigger issues to worry about than wasting tax payers money and time on a non starter issue.
It’s time we stop celebrating the history of white settlers in this country and in North America in general. No other race has committed more crimes against humanity than white people in North America. Genocide, Slavery, Ethnic cleansing, Mass murder… not to mention Sexual Violence and Atrocities committed by the church. There’s your white history.
Well, well, the First Nations (who aren’t First) separatists demand to be consulted even though they didn’t don’t want to be part of Canada but wanted and got their own nation with benefits and are non contributing! Traitors!! What is wrong with this picture??? Hmmmm
I hope the natives are paying their lawyers, and not Canada taxpayers. I hope the judges read the room and the treaties, as Ron suggests, and realise that this court action has no basis in facts, and that the tribes need to pay court costs to Alberta also.
Where in the Treaties does it say ANYTHING about having to consult or ask permission?
More UNDRIP nonsense. Consultation also doesn’t mean veto. The province should send you an email “we’re gonna do things. You’ve been consulted” and end this nonsense forever.
Pound sand Indians. You each get 1 vote in the referendum and that’s the limit. We don’t need to consult in any way.
Agreed. The only way out of this mess we call Canada is Alberta Independence. First Nations will get a much better from us than they ever got from Canada!
You sold the land. You get no say in the matter.
Vote separation. It’s time to distance ourselves from the federal gong show.