JOINT MEDIA RELEASE - Treaty First Nations: Upholding Treaty Responsibility With The Crown

Unceded, Unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation – The First Nations Chiefs will gather onParliament Hill from May 26- 27, 2025, to reaffirm their sovereignty and nation-to-nation relationship with the Crown,coinciding with King Charles III’s Speech from the Throne at the Senate of Canada on May 27, 2025. The importance of reaffirming sovereignty arrives at a crucial time when calls for separation have flooded mainstream media.

Treaties 1 through 11 were made between sovereign First Nations and the Crown. These agreements were signed long before Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba became part of Canada. These Treaties are sacred agreements meant to lastas long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow. They are grounded in First Nations laws, governance systems and ancestral traditions that existed long before Confederation or provincial borders.

Nation-to-nation agreements between First Nations and the Crown are protected under Section 35 of the ConstitutionAct, 1982 and recognized in international law. They represent binding commitments that cannot be unilaterally altered and any attempt to override them is a violation of the original agreements made in good faith between FirstNations and the Crown.

While acknowledging the frustration felt across First Nation territories following recent federal elections, First Nationsleaders call for unity rather than division. They emphasize that understanding the original spirit and intent of Treaties isessential to any contemporary relationship between First Nations and the provinces. “Our Inherent and Treaty rights, ourinherent sovereignty, our languages, cultures, and traditions, our waters, lands, and resources – they are a rights bundle, and interconnected and not isolated,” said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron. “To understand First Nations, and this framework of multiple inherent rights, historical context establishes when and how these rights came into being. They arerights with a long history. Our Treaties are of international law, made with the British Crown, and we are optimistic thatKing Charles III will come meet us on Treaty 6 territory in 2026 to honour the 150th Anniversary of Treaty signing atFort Carlton.”

“Any conversation about sovereignty, nation-to-nation relationships, and these sacred Lands must begin with therecognition of Treaty — not as history, but as a living, binding agreement between sovereign Nations and the Crown.Treaty No.6 First Nations, like all Treaties, was not a surrender but a promise — a commitment made in good faith by our ancestors and the Crown to live together in peace and mutual respect,” said Confederacy of Treaty No.6 First Nations Grand Chief Desjarlais. “As separatist rhetoric grows louder in Alberta, we remind Canada and the Crown thatour relationship is not with provinces — it is with the Crown itself. The presence of King Charles III in Canada is a moment to reflect on that sacred relationship and to remind Canada of its Treaty obligations.”

“Our Treaties are not merely agreements, they are sacred, living covenants established between sovereign First Nations andthe British Crown. These covenants were entered into through ceremony, under the guidance of our laws and governance systems, with the clear understanding that we were entering into a relationship of mutual recognition and respect, not subjugation. The Crown must honour that this sacred relationship continues today regardless of constitutional change or national division.” said Grand Chief Kyra Wilson, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC).

The Treaty Nations are calling upon King Charles III, as the representative of the Crown, to uphold binding Inherent and Treaty Right obligations, and the implementation of those sacred rights. Nationhood and our governance systemshave existed for centuries, were recognized – not created – by the Treaty relationship with the Crown. Our right to self-determination over our ancestral, traditional territories, resources and governance structures cannot be subordinated to provincial boundaries or referendum processes that fail to honour the nation-to-nation covenant established throughTreaty.

“Our treaties are binding agreements made between sovereign Nations and the Crown. They were never surrendered orerased. There would be no Canada without Treaty and there can be no reconciliation without full recognition and implementation of those agreements.” said Regional Chief Willie Moore, Assembly of First Nation.

Constitutional discussions must uphold the sacred, legally binding commitments made in Treaties 1-11 and that full implementation of Inherent and Treaty Rights remains the foundation and must be respected in all legislative processes that affect Treaty ancestral, and traditional lands and what is now known as Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

CONTACTS:

Myrtle Morin, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations: communications@fsin.com Jade Harper, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, 413-844-1886: jharper@manitobachiefs.com

Jill Mckenzie, The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations: jill@pipikwanpehtakwan.com

About the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs: The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs was formed in 1988 by the Chiefs in Manitoba to advocate for issues commonlyaffecting First Nations in Manitoba. AMC represents all 63 First Nations in Manitoba, with more than 172,000 First Nations citizens in the province, accountingfor approximately 12 per cent of the provincial population. AMC represents a diversity of Anishinaabe, Nehetho/Ininew, Anisininew, Denesuline, and Dakota Oyate people and traditions. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs was previously known as the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood.

About the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations: The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan. FSIN iscommitted to honouring and upholding the spirit and intent of the Treaties and advocating for the promotion, protection and implementation of the Treatypromises made more than a century ago.

About the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations:

The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations was created in 1993 to serve as the united political voice for the Nations of Treaty No. 6 and to protect theinherent Treaty and human rights of First Nations Peoples. The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations is dedicated to ensuring the terms, spirit, and intent of Treaty No. 6 are honoured and respected. The office is located in Edmonton, AB. For more information, visit www.treatysix.org

About the Assembly of First Nations: The Assembly of First Nations is a national advocacy organization for First Nations that seeks to advance First NationsInherent and Treaty Rights through the development policy, public education and where applicable, the co-development of legislation to build First Nations capacity.