Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to explain why Canada is moving ahead with a major new alliance with the European Union while negotiations on a proposed Modern Alliance Accord with the First Nation remain stalled.
The call follows the Canada-EU Summit in Montreal, where Canada and the European Union announced an “Alliance for the Future” aimed at deepening cooperation on trade, investment, critical minerals and other strategic sectors.
Chief Rodger Redman said the summit demonstrates that Canada can move quickly when it sees a partnership as a priority.
“Canada is demonstrating that when it wants an alliance, it can find the political will and create the mechanisms to pursue it,” said Chief Roger Redman .
“Standing Buffalo has already brought forward a Modern Alliance Accord proposal grounded in our historic relationship with the Crown, our inherent rights and a practical vision for shared prosperity. We are asking why that same determination is missing from Canada’s response to our Nation.”
Standing Buffalo submitted a draft negotiating framework to Canada in 2023 that addresses Crown allyship, natural resources, investment, economic participation and decision-making. The Nation says Canada’s 2024 recognition and apology to Dakota and Lakota peoples must now be reflected in federal actions and negotiating mandates.
Chief Roger Redman also accused Ottawa of applying a double standard.
“Our ancestors stood as allies of the Crown long before Canada began negotiating its modern international partnerships,” said Chief Redman.
“We regard the failure to translate that acknowledged relationship into meaningful action, while Canada creates new arrangements for its European partners, as a discriminatory double standard.”
The Nation is calling on the federal government to appoint a senior negotiator, provide a formal response to the proposed accord and establish a timeline for negotiations toward a Reconciliation and Economic Compact.
Here’s is the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nations statement: Standing Buffalo Statement