Onion Lake Cree Nation sues province over Saskatchewan First Act

A Saskatchewan First Nation is taking the provincial government to court, saying a recent piece of legislation infringes on treaty rights.

The Onion Lake Cree Nation, which straddles the Saskatchewan-Alberta border, filed a statement of claim in a Saskatoon court Wednesday, saying the Saskatchewan First Act represents an infringement on the First Nation’s rights under the treaties.

The bill is intended to give Saskatchewan more autonomy and control over natural resources and prevent infringement by the federal government. It passed in March, despite criticism from First Nations and Métis leaders.

According to the statement of claim, which was obtained by CKOM, the bill was enacted without input from or consultation with Indigenous people, and the Onion Lake Cree Nation said it infringes on long-standing treaty rights.

“The Plaintiff states that the Saskatchewan First Act, as a whole, has both the purpose and effect of negating the guarantees in the Treaty of freedom and agency appertaining to the Plaintiff’s lands, as well as the freedom and agency appertaining to the Plaintiff’s Treaty Rights throughout Saskatchewan,” the claim reads.

“The Saskatchewan First Act is utterly repugnant to the letter and spirit of the Treaty.”

Among the remedies included in the statement of claim, the Cree Nation is seeking a declaration from the court that the act “unjustifiably infringes up and derogates the Treaty,” as well as a declaration that the act, or parts of it, are of no force or effect.

This isn’t the first time the Onion Lake Cree Nation has pushed back against provincial legislation. Last year, it sued the Alberta government over its own sovereignty act, Bill 1.

— With files from The Canadian Press