Onion Lake chief explains lawsuit against provincial government

The Onion Lake Cree Nation launched legal action against the provincial government last week.

The First Nation is suing the province for implementing the Saskatchewan First Act, a piece of legislation intended to assert provincial autonomy over Saskatchewan’s natural resources.

In the lawsuit, Onion Lake argues that the legislation infringes on long-standing treaty rights.

Onion Lake Chief Henry Lewis spoke about the underlying reasons for the case with John Gormley on Tuesday.

“We’re putting a statement of claim against the exclusive jurisdiction on land and resources, (which would have) a negative impact on our hunting and treaty and gathering rights,” Lewis said.

Onion Lake Cree Nation sits along the border of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and Lewis said the band launched a similar legal action against the Alberta Sovereignty Act, which he said raised many of the same concerns as the Saskatchewan First Act.

Lewis stressed the importance of treaty rights and education.

“The lack of education and understanding on our experience and of treaties, that’s a big problem here. We need to get education right across. If the understanding was there, we wouldn’t be where we are at today,” Lewis said.

“We have tried to negotiate in good faith with the provincial government — including Alberta — with no avail. They’re still going with status quo.”

Lewis said Crown land within the jurisdiction of Onion Lake Cree Nation has been sold, as well as land within the jurisdictions of other First Nations, despite his request for a moratorium during meetings with provincial leaders.

“There was absolutely no consultation with the nation,” added Terri Quinney, Onion Lake Cree Nation’s duty-to-consult co-ordinator.

“We weren’t sent any documentation. There was no phone calls, no emails, no letters. Nothing came from the province.”

Quinney heavily criticized the current duty-to-consult framework, which is intended to require consultation with Indigenous communities on matters related to treaty rights.

“The thresholds are so low within that policy when it comes to consulting with us, when it comes to sending out any type of notification for any type of projects, or even sales of Crown lands,” Quinney said.

“They’re always deemed to be not a detriment, I guess you could say, to our rights, when in reality if you sell a Crown land or if you lease it for even 33 years, that’s like a permanent uptake of our lands, the lands that we utilize for practising our treaty rights.”