King expressed ‘concern’ over Alberta separatists, say First Nations chiefs. 6 hours ago. Nadine YousifSenior Canada reporter. PA Media. King Charles III “expressed his concern” over the Alberta separatist movement while meeting Indigenous leaders at Buckingham Palace, according to a delegation of First Nations chiefs that travelled to London.. Grand Chief Joey Pete of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations said he and other leaders made the King aware of the “threat” the movement represented to agreements signed by First Nations and the Crown more than a century ago.. He added that the King was “very interested in what we had to say” and had “committed to learning more”.. It comes as a grassroots separatist movement in the west Canadian province gathers signatures to force a secession referendum in October.. First Nations leaders in Alberta have voiced their opposition to the separation movement, and some have filed legal challenges.. While meeting the King on Wednesday, First Nations chiefs asked him to issue a Royal Proclamation that would affirm their treaties with the Crown and the rights afforded under them, they said.. “It was a significant meeting, as Treaty partners and equals,” said Grand Chief Pete in a statement.. He added that the King had been “very interested in what we had to say and asked a lot of questions”.. The BBC has approached Buckingham Palace for comment.. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to meet Charles on Monday during a trip to the UK.. He told reporters on Thursday that the monarch had engaged in a “fulsome” discussion with the chiefs, adding: “There are many subjects for him and I to raise.”. Laws that govern the relationship between Canada’s First Nations and the Canadian government are set out by treaties that were signed with the Crown, in some cases prior to the creation of Canada.. Those treaty rights are protected by the Canadian constitution, which recognises and affirms them.. One Alberta First Nation – Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation (SLCN) – has sued the Alberta government for allowing separatists to gather enough signatures in support of a referendum, arguing that the petition violates its treaty rights.. “Alberta has treated SLCN as though they are chattel on the land, merely an afterthought in forced negotiations, not the first step in any potential secession,” the statement of claim said.. ‘Respect Canadian sovereignty’, Carney tells US officials after they meet Alberta separatists. ‘We have more in common with America than the rest of Canada’. “Alberta’s secession cannot happen without First Nation consent to change a party to Treaty No. 8,” the lawsuit stated. Treaty 8 was signed by First Nation communities in northern Alberta, among other places.. Earlier this week, a group of First Nations leaders gathered at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton to call on the provincial premier, Danielle Smith, to quash any possible secession referendum.. They also asked Alberta lawmakers to hold a no-
