Opinion by Murray Mandryk • Yesterday
Opposition First Nation Metis Relations critic Betty Nippi-Albright holds eagle feathers as First Nations people demand honest dialogue of Crown land leasing.© Provided by Leader Post
As First Nations leaders came to the podium in the Opposition caucus conference room Monday to speak to why the Saskatchewan Party government is wrong to auction off Crown land without proper consultations, each was handed eagle feathers to hold.
Traditionally in many First Nations cultures, the eagle feather is a powerful religious object obligating the holder to speak the truth.
The problem, it seemed, is no one from government was there to hold the eagle feathers.
Especially after last fall’s introduction of the Saskatchewan First Act, there seems little trust among First Nations people that this government abides by traditions of truth telling.
“What I hear are empty words spoken with a forked tongue,” said Ochapowace Nation Chief Margaret Bear told the Monday gathering as she lambasted Premier Scott Moe and demanded the immediate repeal of the Saskatchewan First Act.
“That’s what I hear — saying one thing and doing another.”
Her words were passionate and sometimes stinging. But like other First Nation speakers from across the province who travelled to the legislature Monday, Bear spoke with a great deal of knowledge about treaty history. It’s too bad no one from government was there to listen and learn.
Much of recent treaty history in Saskatchewan has revolved around finding ways to make modern-day things like Crown land leases work within the historical treaty agreement framework.
“That’s part of our history,” Bear said. “That’s part of your history.”
As such, a “duty to consult” matrix has been established to have meaningful dialogue before any Crown land is leased or sold for agricultural purposes — something likely to alter the environment and the historic First Nations use of the land.
That hasn’t happened in this most recent land lease/sale proposal, First Nations argued, vowing to take government to court over it.
While there had been notices of preliminary discussions, Onion Lake’s duty to consult co-ordinator Terri Quinney said her First Nation was not informed of the upcoming lease auctions and might not have known about them had she not seen an online posting in December.
“Duty to consult is an obligation that flows from the honour of the Crown,” said Onion Lake Cree Nation Chief Henry Lewis. “The goal is to listen to the views and concerns of those affected groups and where necessary and possible, modify the actions.”
But as frustrating as this ongoing battle over duty to consult has been, palpable in the room was frustration over what has simultaneously happened with last fall’s Saskatchewan First Act.
Calmly, Bear explained why the act was unacceptable and far beyond the Crown land lease dispute.
Much of Canada’s economy was built on the extraction of natural resources as the federal government unilaterally transferred control of the First Nations land and natural resources to provinces pursuant to the 1930 Natural Resources Transfer Agreement, Bear explained. “We have always maintained this transfer was unlawful.”
As per the wording of the treaties, First Nations never relinquished the rights to natural resources, Bear explained.
“We wanted to share our beautiful land — our Mother Earth — with our newcomers,” she said. “At that time, we shared only the top six inches of the ground or the depth of a plow for agricultural purposes. Nothing deeper.”
Adding to this maddening situation is Moe’s suggestion Sept. 30 on Truth and Reconciliation Day that his government believes in “economic reconciliation.”
That was great to hear at the time,” Bear said. But then came the Saskatchewan First Act that Moe and Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre maintain required no input from Saskatchewan’s First Nations.
This act has been carried forward by a minister who questioned the portrayal of white pioneers in classroom treaty teachings. There’s plenty of reason for First Nations not to trust this government.
At the very least, they do seem to have an argument that the Sask. Party government has moved away from its commitment to better teach treaty history.
Perhaps it’s time for government to pick up the eagle feather.
Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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