The provincial government has a Crown Land Lease Auction at the end of this month and First Nations leadership gathered at the Legislature today to oppose it, alongside Official Opposition Critic for First Nation and Metis Relations, Betty Nippi-Albright. She says, consultation, if it is happening at all, is minimal at best.

Leaders from Onion Lake say they weren’t properly notified of the upcoming auction and were first made aware of it after visiting the Government’s website. Onion Lake Cree Nation Chief Henry Lewis says, “the loss of use due to Crown Land leases that are up to 33 years result in the unjustifiable infringement of our Treaty Rights to meaningfully hunt, trap, fish, harvest and gather on our traditional territories.”

Nippi-Albright adds that Yellow Quill First Nation received a letter on December 30th regarding a request for the First Nation to relocate from its traditional gathering territory and only given 39 days to respond. She says, this is the second time the province has asked Yellow Quill to relocate.

The provincial NDP calls on the government to stop the sell-off and lease of Crown Lands and to codify the Duty to Consult framework in legislation.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations is also against selling and leasing Crown Lands. Vice Chief Heather Bear says the selling and leasing of our lands cannot continue and that’s why the Nations in this province are in litigation about this, because it ignores First Nations’ rights and is inconsistent with Treaties and the Treaty relationship.