I grew up in Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, a three-and-a-half-hour drive north of Edmonton in Treaty 8 territory. After my parents separated, I was raised by my grandparents: my grandfather trapped furs and my grandmother tanned hides and pelts. I enjoyed the traditional life, but I never imagined I’d end up as our nation’s chief. Some of my friends and other respected members of our community convinced me to run. They thought we needed a leader that wasn’t afraid to speak plainly about the challenges facing our nation—particularly those resulting from our dealings with the government. I took over the role in 2022.

Historically, Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation hasn’t had an active relationship with the province. First Nations lands are federal lands, so many of our services—like education, for example—are primarily funded by the federal government, which has treaty obligations to us. In recent years, however, our council has noticed an increase in provincial legislation that infringes on our rights. The Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, passed by Alberta’s legislative assembly in 2020, criminalized demonstrations on railways in the wake of the Wet’suwet’en solidarity blockades. And last December, the All-Seasons Resorts Act was ratified, permitting Crown land to be used for commercial tourism development without first clearing those deals with First Nations. But few of us paid much attention to separatist sentiment until after this spring’s election, when the Smith government tabled Bill 54 to........

© Macleans