In my capacity as Chief of the Blood Tribe, and following the press conference of Alberta’s Treaty Chiefs which took place yesterday, I wish to address the Government of Alberta’s inaction in relation to the current petition for secession of Alberta.
Long before Alberta existed as a province, the Blood Tribe entered into the Blackfoot Treaty of 1877 with the Crown. This Treaty – often referred to as Treaty 7 – is a sacred covenant based on the Blackfoot concept of Treaty-making, Innaihtsiiyissini, which is when two powerful nations come together into a peace agreement.
The Blood Tribe had no intention of selling or giving away our traditional territory by entering into the Blackfoot Treaty. In the ways of our people, it is not possible to sell our traditional territory – it is part of who we are culturally, spiritually, and as a Nation. The Blackfoot Treaty was an agreement to share the land and to live together in a spirit of respect and balance. These understandings remain alive today.
Our Treaty rights are non-negotiable. They cannot be set aside by petitions, referendums, or political movements-whether citizen-led or government-enabled. Any attempt to separate Alberta from Canada directly engages our Treaty relationship with the Crown. We do not consent to separation, and our consent is not optional.
Over the past months, the Blood Tribe has made repeated, reasonable requests of the Government of Alberta. We have asked Alberta to publicly affirm that Treaties remain binding, solemn obligations unaffected by any citizen-led initiative or proposal for separation. We have asked Alberta to publicly acknowledge that it has no authority to alter Treaty relationships or the constitutional status of First Nations. We have asked Alberta to engage directly with Treaty Nations to reaffirm its commitments and responsibilities within the Treaty framework.
To date, Alberta has failed to respond to these requests in any meaningful capacity. There has been no engagement between Alberta and the Blood Tribe in respect of the issue of separation, despite the seriousness of the issue and the clear constitutional implications. Even more concerning, momentum behind the separatist movement appears to be encouraged—not challenged—because the Alberta government remains silent in the face of this petition. Silence in the face of unconstitutional action is not neutrality. It is complicity.
The law on this matter is clear. The courts have already spoken. Justice Feasby found that petitions for Alberta separation are unconstitutional and confirmed that separation would directly contravene Treaty rights. This decision was not a suggestion or a political opinion. It was a legal conclusion grounded firmly in constitutional law.
Alberta’s failure to respect this decision is alarming. That the Chief Justices of Alberta took the extraordinary step of publicly condemning political interference with the judicial process is a testament of how the Government of Alberta’s recent political maneuvering is eroding the rule of law. That warning should concern everyone who believes in democracy, fairness, and our constitutional principles. Courts exist to interpret the law without fear or pressure. When governments undermine judicial independence, the harm is felt by all people, not just ours.
Alberta cannot pick and choose which parts of the Constitution it will respect. Treaties are part of the constitutional fabric of Canada. Ignoring them destabilizes not only Indigenous-Crown relationships, but the legal foundation of the province itself — at a time when real social, economic, and political threats to stability already exist.
Accordingly, the Blood Tribe reiterates its calls on the Government of Alberta to act immediately. We call for an emergency session of the Legislature to repeal those portions of the Citizen Initiative Act that gives this petition for separation false legitimacy. We further call on the Minister of Justice to seek or agree to an injunction to pause the Alberta Prosperity Project’s petition while this law is being repealed.
Yesterday, I stood alongside Chiefs of Alberta’s First Nations to publicly voice our concerns relating to these issues. In the face of our press conference, Premier Smith reiterated that she refused to “demonize or marginalize” citizens who are advancing the goal of Alberta’s separation. This morning, it was reported that some UCP MLAs have actually signed the petition for Alberta’s separation from Canada.
These developments signal an overt shift in the public-facing policy and mandate of our democratically elected provincial government. Unless Alberta immediately abandons this reckless course of action, the damage created by this shift will be irreversible.
The Blood Tribe remains committed to peace, to the rule of law, and to the Treaty relationship that made this province possible. Alberta must immediately abandon its policy of silence and publicly honour those same commitments.
Blood Tribe Communications & Community Engagement on behalf of:
Chief Traveller Plaited Hair
BLOOD TRIBE/KAINAI CHIEF AND COUNCIL
