Continued reconciliation pledged on Treaty 6 Recognition Day

For the first time in the three years that Edmonton has hosted Treaty 6 Recognition Day, an Alberta premier has been in attendance. The timing was perfect as the third annual event, held on Aug. 21, marked 138 years to the day after the signing of the adhesion, which brought a handful of Northern Alberta bands into the treaty. Also fitting was that the opening prayer was delivered by Ermineskin First Nations Elder John Ermineskin, a descendant of Chief Bobtail, who signed the adhesion. Treaty 6 was signed in 1876, well before Alberta became a province.

“Alberta’s new government is committed to helping the descendants of the signatories to the Frist Nations (Treaty),” Premier Rachel Notley said to a round of applause. “We are committed to helping the descendants achieve equality for everyone in our diverse and fair society we are so fundamentally entitled to. When Alberta voters elected our government, they also endorsed our platform to build a renewed partnership with Alberta’s Indigenous people based on shared respect.”

Notley said to foster understanding the province would make learning Indigenous culture and history part of the school curriculum.

And in keeping with her election night promise to “be better neighbours,” Notley said Aboriginal affairs minister Kathleen Ganley was working toward developing a new protocol agreement that would guide the relationship between the province and the First Nations.

Treaty 6 Grand Chief Tony Alexis lauded Notley for “redefining” the relationship between the government and First Nations.

“When we think about how are we going to work together we must also look at a way that we don’t practise what failed in the past,” he said.  “We need to move forward in building bridges.”

Alexis also praised Mayor Don Iveson for the efforts already undertaken by the city, but he stressed that the work needed to continue.

Iveson committed to keep Edmonton moving in the direction it began charting last year when he proclaimed a Year of Reconciliation following the hosting of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final national event in Edmonton in March. Iveson was inducted as an honourary witness during that event.

Iveson, who attended part of the TRC’s closing ceremony in Ottawa, also led the commitment for the Big City Mayors caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with a declaration “committing to a new equal partnership with Aboriginal people in Canada.”

“I whole heartedly agree. I think it’s good that (Iveson) mentioned the mayors’ meeting and the mayors’ gathering to select what was most important to them to implement the calls to actions,” said Chief Wilton Littlechild, who was in attendance. 

Littlechild was one of three commissioners on the TRC, which in early June tabled a summary of its final report listing 94 calls to action. The report included a section specific to municipalities and it is this section that Iveson said Edmonton would focus its attention on.

Littlechild noted that the City of Vancouver, which had also declared a Year of Reconciliation, has now enacted a permanent declaration of reconciliation.

“I thought that was moving it even further, understanding that we need to work together into the future, that the commission ending is not the end of work to reconciliation,” said Littlechild.

Photo caption: Premier Rachel Notley stands draped in a starblanket with Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and Treaty 6 Grand Chief Tony Alexis.