Prairie premiers’ fears about Lametti comments have ‘no grounding in truth’: Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there is concern from the Prairie premiers over recent comments from his justice minister have no truth, and Indigenous leaders say these premiers need to educate themselves.

Last week, Canada’s Justice Minister David Lametti indicated the federal government would consider looking at the issue of Natural Resources Transfer Agreements to the four western provinces.

In response, the leaders of the prairie provinces, including Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, have collectively spoken out against that possibility, even saying they would relentlessly defend their jurisdiction over natural resource wealth.

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick says it’s important for Indigenous people to have a seat at the table.

“We should start working together and be able to come to the table and speak on behalf of our people and the implications on things that need to be done right,” said Grand Chief Merrick.

“As First Nation people, we should be one of the richest people in this country when it comes to our resources, yet we live in poverty.”

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization says NRTAs were created in the 1930s by the federal government to exclude First Nations from benefitting from the wealth of Indigenous lands, and instead give that control to the provinces.

Grand Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak says the provinces are not wanting to give up that jurisdiction and allow First Nations to revamp their economic development.

“It’ll be a loss to them and a gain for us, so they don’t want us to actually be in a position to be self-reliant and self-sufficient because ultimately, that is what would happen,” said Grand Chief Settee.

The federal-provincial tension was sparked by comments made by Lametti last week while taking questions during an Assembly of First Nations meeting.

During a press conference at the University of Manitoba Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called out Canada’s Prairie premiers for trying to elevate fears over Ottawa’s intentions around provincial resource rights.

He also accused them of not taking the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) seriously.

“We know we need to move forward in true reconciliation and partnership with Indigenous peoples and that’s something we certainly hope we can work on with the premiers and Indigenous peoples to be able to grow the economy and create those great jobs including in natural resources that are going to be there for decades to come as we move into a net zero world,” said Trudeau.

“This is something that, unfortunately, we have seen conservative politicians across the country not take as seriously as either our moral responsibilities or our economic responsibilities would require,” he said.

Merrick says removing control over natural resources from the provinces to First Nations is a step in the right direction towards reconciliation.

“We need to be able to ensure that we be heard, we need to be able to ensure that we can come to the table and start talking about the changes that need to be made.”

The drama started after Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte of the Prince Albert Grand Council asked Lametti to rescind the Natural Resources Transfer Act during a question-and-answer session at the special chiefs meeting last Thursday.

“I obviously can’t pronounce on that right now,” Lametti said in response. “But I do commit to looking at that. It won’t be uncontroversial is the only thing I would say, with a bit of a smile.”

Prairie premiers and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said that response was a threat to overturn the constitution and take federal control over provincial resources.

“The federal government cannot unilaterally change the constitution,” the prairie premiers said in their joint-statement. “They should not even be considering stripping resource rights away from the three prairie provinces.”

Poilievre said on Twitter that he would “put westerners in control of their resources and lives.”

On the same platform, Lametti released a statement that said it’s his job to listen to First Nations chiefs’ concerns, but the government’s focus is aligning Canadian laws and policies with the UN declaration.

-With files from the Canadian Press