Former Treaty 6 Grand Chief Willie Littlechild says Alberta wasting time on separation question

A former grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 Nations feels Alberta should be focused on making the province stronger within Canada than sowing discord with separation talk. “From a constitutional perspective – it’s not possible, so why are we wasting our time, money and effort to do this?” asked Littlechild, a lawyer. “The time we’re devoting to this issue – to me – we should be spending time on how do we come together, work together to make Alberta a stronger province as we all want.” Scholars and other experts say the constitutional change needed to allow separation would take years. So Littlechild, a former MP, Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner and a member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation south of Edmonton, would rather see the UCP government cooperate with First Nations on the bigger issues. “I look at it like what are the opportunities out there and how can we harness our own province in a good way,” he said in an interview with APTN News. Separatist groups like the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) and Alberta Republican Party are advocating for a referendum on Alberta becoming an independent republic or American state. Dissension grew after the federal Liberal party was elected to its fourth straight victory on April 26. The West has long felt a disconnect with Ottawa and there’s also resentment from many in Alberta about the province’s resource wealth going to Ontario and Quebec through revenue-sharing agreements. Saskatchewan and British Columbia also pay into the agreements. “Whether it’s a pipeline issue or oil and gas, whether it’s equality, sharing of resources – I know we always argue we give more to Quebec and Ontario,” Littlechild said. The APP has claimed First Nations would be free of federal restrictions and see their profits jump – like the rest of the province under its plan. Littlechild says First Nations want to know the economic impact of separation and, to date, no one has calculated that. He is worried talk of separation is already hurting investment in Alberta. “If we were to hook elbows together on the resource industry perspective, we could have good arguments and discussions with Quebec and Ontario from a business perspective,” Littlechild suggested. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said a referendum on separation would happen in 2026. Her government has passed several pieces of legislation this spring to make it easier for citizens to mount a referendum while also lowering the threshold for the number of names required for a petition to be successful. “There are some comments out there saying Alberta would be better off being a stand alone state-as a country,” Littlechild says. “But how much are we going to be better off and in what way and in what areas of private industry? It really is questionable in terms of are we sure from a financial perspective would we be better off? I haven’t heard an answer to that.” Continue Reading