The chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says he hasn’t given up hope the province will one day split natural resource revenues with First Nations.
This goes against statements by Premier Brad Wall, who maintains these revenues should be equally split amongst all of the province’s residents.
However, Perry Bellegarde says he remains optimistic the premier can be persuaded to see the FSIN’s point of view over time.
“Well, I am hoping that because say our futures are intertwined as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, so we have to find a way to come to the table and resolve these issues,” he says.
He adds the boom in Saskatchewan could be much bigger if First Nations were more involved economically.
The FSIN chief is also confirming he is still with the Assembly of First Nations as the organization’s regional chief for Saskatchewan.
At last week’s FSIN winter assembly, a resolution was put forward that would have split this position and FSIN chief into two separate entities.
However, Bellegarde says the motion was easily defeated and as such he retains both positions.
He adds the general consensus on the issue seemed to be “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” among the chiefs at the assembly.