Action taken against Contribution Funding Agreement

The Peepeekisis Cree Nation is refusing to re-sign its Contribution Funding Agreement with the federal government while Onion Lake Cree Nation has signed the CFA under duress. “We met with AANDC officials on a number of occasions to renegotiate the current CFA,” said Peepeekisis Chief Michael Koochicum in a written statement, “but our requests fell on deaf ears.” Onion Lake Chief Wallace Fox said membership also considered not signing but opted for signing under duress. At issue, said Fox, is that the new agreement removes clauses that protect treaty rights and includes a clause that ties First Nations into following any subsequent policy or legislation changes brought in by Ottawa that impact the contribution funding agreement.  Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations has sent a letter to its 74 members, advising them to notify the minister they were forced to sign the new deal. FSIN Chief Perry Bellegarde has called the CFA “blackmail.”