Treaty 6 returns to AFN fold

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After an almost seven-year estrangement, the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations have rejoined the Assembly of First Nations.

A political accord was signed and celebrated during a ceremony at the Ermineskin Cree Nation powwow on Aug. 6 near Hobbema, Alta. Newly elected AFN Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come was in attendance.

As the chiefs signed the accord, a confederacy staff member told Windspeaker that the new national chief's bottom line position on the nature of the relationship between First Nations and Canada was the deciding factor.

"This should mean there'll be a better working relationship with the AFN for the Confederacy of Treaty 6 chiefs," said Norman Calliou. "The confederacy didn't get along with the position of previous national chiefs and we haven't been involved since Meech and Charlottetown. Previous national chiefs didn't recognize or insist that the relationship must be nation-to-nation, that there's a special relationship. This national chief supports that position and the confederacy supports him."

Coon Come has gained an important political ally in Alberta just as the chiefs have found one in the new national chief.

"I think that was one of the questions that only Treaty 6 could answer," the national chief told Windspeaker on Aug. 6. "That was: Were they willing to get involved with the AFN? I think the fact that [Ermineskin Cree Nation chief] Gerry Ermineskin had nominated me and that I had met with Treaty 6 and made assurances that I would like to work with them and that they would like to come back and work with AFN and agree to a protocol - which was there before anyways, we just kind of strengthened it so we know where the lines are."

Chief Ermineskin said he didn't expect to get any preferential treatment for his region from the national chief as a result of his nomination of Coon Come, but he did predict that all First Nations would benefit from Coon Come's leadership.

"No. No. Not just for me, for everybody," he said when asked if he expected to gain a lot of political clout as a reward for backing the winner. "This chief is aggressive - not militant - aggressive. He knows how to negotiate."