Economics focus of upcoming Treaty 1-11 Gathering

January 18, 2016

Economics will be the focal point of the upcoming Treaty 1-11 Gathering later this week.

“We always need to talk about economic prosperity,” said Cold Lake First Nations Chief Bernice Martial. CLFN is hosting the event which takes place Wednesday and Thursday at the River Cree Resort on the Enoch Cree Nation. 

The theme of the event is "As Long as the Sun Shines, the Grass Grows and the Rivers Flow: A Livelihood for a Livelihood."

“As a nation, we have to have what (the rest of Canada) has: a livelihood for a livelihood,” said Martial.

But it goes beyond resource revenue sharing, a term that Martial doesn’t like to use.

“It’s about community benefit and infrastructure. All that kind of stuff,” she said, adding that it’s also about more than economic spinoff. CLFN is a leading First Nation in economic development, with a number of band-operated and owned companies.

A round table for strategic planning for government-to-government relations will be the highlight of discussions on the first day.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde will not be attending the two-day event. However, Northwest Territories Regional Chief Bill Erasmus will represent the AFN.

Erasmus will also report on the United Nations climate change conference which was held in Paris in December. Erasmus attended as part of the Aboriginal delegation invited by the Canadian government. Ultimately, the conference ended on a disappointing note. Despite Canada’s acceptance of the role Indigenous peoples can play in addressing climate change and the strong showing of Indigenous world leaders, the COP21 climate change agreement only urged nations to consider Indigenous right and traditional knowledge. Indigenous peoples had been seeking stronger language to ensure respect and implementation of Indigenous rights.

Chiefs, leadership, technicians and members of Treaty Nations from 1-11 will work together to develop and implement strategy to move forward into 2016, said Martial.