Cold Lake First Nations chief Bernice Martial was among many indigenous leaders at a post election strategy meeting to forge a new relationship with the Liberal government.
Chiefs and proxies representing traditional territories under Treaties 1 through 11 attended the gathering, which included a presentation from Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde.
“We need to repeal all legislation that affects indigenous peoples in our country,” said Martial. “We also need to set up a meeting with the prime minister, as chiefs in this country.”
Martial also voiced her concerns about the First Nations Financial Transparency Act, which compels bands to disclose detailed financial information to the public and came into effect this year.
After being ordered by the federal government to post band financial statements, a group of five reserves challenged the First Nations Financial Transparency act, arguing it violated their Charter and treaty rights. A federal court judge recently ruled that five First Nations in Alberta and Saskatchewan do not have to disclose band salaries and audited financial statements online.
“Cold Lake First Nations does not believe that the federal government, through the unilateral imposition of the First Nations Financial Transparency Act, has the right to compel Cold Lake First Nations, or any other First Nation in Canada, to disclose its private financial information,” said a statement released by CLFN.
“Cold Lake First Nations calls on the new federal government to comply with the recent federal court decision on this matter, to not appeal the issues any further, and to begin work with the First Nations across Canada to implement a new fiscal relationship with First Nations.”
CLFN is also concerned that posting financial audits online compromises business advantage for their wholly owned companies such as Primco Dene.
“It gives a way to other companies that could use that information for their own good,” said Nicole Robinson, a communications advisor for CLFN. “This will put them in a position of insider type of information that shouldn't be out there in any given situation, in any type of business world.”
Martial also called on the federal government to call an inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
“As Chief, I called on the former Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Bernard Valcourt, to prove his public statements on this matter. He did not comply, and he later attempt to deflect the matter using the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” explained Martial.
“We, as Treaty First Nations, have a special Treaty relationship with the RCMP to protect us and the former Minister should never have politicized the issue in that way.”
She added, “Rather than blame us for the racism and poverty that affects our people like the previous Conservative government did, we call on the new federal government to take action and work with us to resolve the issue in a positive way.”
CLFN, which in located in Treaty No. 6 territory and has approximately 2,400 members, also called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to conduct a formal meeting early in 2016 in Ottawa with all First Nations in Canada to begin a nation-to-nation dialogue.
