US EditionAlberta government amends referendum bill in effort to placate First Nations’ concern
- Alberta's government amended Bill 54 in Edmonton on May 14, 2025, aiming to address First Nations' concerns about a proposed referendum law.
- The bill intends to lower the threshold for citizen-initiated referendums, including possible votes on Alberta separating from Canada, raising treaty rights issues.
- Indigenous leaders, such as Chiefs Sheldon Sunshine and Billy-Joe Tuccaro, reject the amendment as insufficient, planning protests and advancing lawsuits against related sovereignty legislation.
- Opposition NDP critic Brooks Arcand-Paul called the amendments "reprehensible" and "lip service," while government officials claimed they honored constitutional treaty rights.
- The controversy suggests ongoing legal challenges and political tension around Alberta's sovereignty moves, treaty rights, and Indigenous consultation processes.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Alberta separatism threats spur First Nation to revive lawsuit against Sovereignty Act
A First Nation whose land spans the Alberta-Saskatchewan border says Alberta's "growing separatist agenda" has spurred it to revive a more than two-year-old lawsuit against the province's Sovereignty Act.
Alberta Revises Referendum Bill to ‘Reassert’ Treaty Rights Commitment
The Alberta government has amended its proposed referendum legislation to make it clear that citizen-initiated petitions cannot infringe on the treaty rights of indigenous peoples. The amendments respond to feedback from First Nations and indigenous partners and are intended to “reassert” the province’s commitment to protecting treaty rights in the event of a citizen-initiated referendum, Justice Minister Mickey Amery said in a May 14 statement.…
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