King Charles III delivered a speech from the throne in Ottawa this week to kick off the latest sitting of parliament.
This marked the first time that King Charles has delivered a throne speech in Canada since his ascension in 2022, also the first time a British monarch has done so in decades.
The king did speak on “truth and reconciliation” during his speech, however First Nation chiefs who gathered in Ottawa to hear the speech say actions need to follow.
In a joint media release from many Treaty First Nation groups across the country, they “stressed” that reconciliation must “begin with justice, Treaty implementation, and shared decision-making.”
Among the key commitments outlined in the Throne Speech were proposals to eliminate federal interprovincial trade barriers, create a centralized Major Projects Office to speed up approvals, and reduce the federal operating budget.
However, the joint media release says these announcements raise immediate concerns if they don’t involve First Nations right from the start.
The statement called for four things: inclusion of First Nations staff and governance roles in the Major Projects Office, legislated First Nations roles in environment assessments and procurement, protection of Treaty and inherent rights in interprovincial trade legislation, and recognition that no project proceeds without free, prior, and informed consent.
“We are requesting and expecting His Majesty The King to meet with First Nations Chiefs on our unceded, unsurrendered ancestral and traditional territories to promote, protect and implement our Inherent and Treaty Rights,” Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice-Chief David Pratt said. “The Crown must fulfill its constitutional obligations and honour the nation-to-nation relationship that forms the foundation of our shared history.”
As Canada prepares to host the G7 summit in June to promote world unity, the statement from First Nations leaders says unity “begins with accountability.”
(TOP PHOTO: FSIN Vice-Chief David Pratt. File Photo)