King Charles has expressed concern over a separatist movement in western Canada, according to Indigenous leaders who met the monarch at Buckingham Palace. Members of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations travelled from Alberta and Saskatchewan to raise the alarm, arguing the secessionist movement ignores key treaties signed nearly 150 years ago.
Joey Pete, grand chief of Sunchild First Nation, said the delegation 'made [Charles] aware of the separatism issue in Alberta and the threat to the Treaty it represents'. He added that the monarch appeared 'concerned and committed to learning more'. The meeting was described as one of 'treaty partners and equals'.
A minority of Albertans have long argued the province's economic woes stem from federal payment structures and barriers to exporting fossil fuels. Organisers of the independence movement are collecting signatures for a referendum and have sought US support, aiming for a $500bn credit facility from the US Treasury. Indigenous leaders warn secession cannot proceed without consulting treaty holders, whose agreements predate Alberta's creation as a province in 1905.
Chief Desmond Bull of the Louis Bull Tribe said leaders spoke 'directly' to Charles about 'international implications of the threats our treaties face' and Canada's failure to meet obligations. He said the king took the issue 'very seriously'. Both chiefs formally invited Charles to attend the 150th commemoration of Treaty Six in Edmonton, calling it a 'powerful symbol' of crown commitment.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who also met Charles, said the monarch 'takes an intense interest in the rights of Indigenous peoples'. The relationship between Indigenous peoples and the British crown is nuanced, rooted in treaties from the 1700s, despite a history of broken promises and cultural erasure.
