Community leaders, Elders and residents from Treaty 4, 6, 7 and 8 territories are coming together in Lloydminster later this month for a conference organized around a simple idea: treaty relationships are still a living thing, and they affect everyday life for First Nations people across the region.
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The United in Treaty Conference, organized by Inspire Group of Companies, runs Nov. 23-25 at the Lloydminster Agricultural Exhibition. The three-day event is open to the public and touches on treaty rights, health care, land and water stewardship, and the Crown’s obligations to First Nations.
Organizers say the goal is to create space for learning, dialogue and relationship-building between Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. The timing isn’t an accident — this year marks the 150th anniversary of Treaty 6, and that milestone threads through much of the programming.
Ceremony and dialogue open the event
Activities begin Monday, Nov. 23, with a pipe ceremony at 1 p.m. led by Elders representing multiple treaty territories. Among those attending are Treaty 8 Head Elder Fred Campion of Driftpile Cree Nation, Treaty 6 Elder Clifford Cardinal of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Treaty 4 Elder Howie Desnomie of Peepeekisis Cree Nation and Métis Elder Orest Zwozdesky of Edmonton.
The formal opening follows Tuesday, Nov. 24, with a Grand Entry at 8:45 a.m. led by the Fly-In-Eagle drum group from Little Pine First Nation. Opening remarks are expected from Elder Campion, Karen McCarthy of Inspire Group of Companies, Lloydminster Deputy Mayor Jim Taylor and MLA Betty Nippi-Albright of Saskatoon Centre, who is from Kinistin Saulteaux Nation.
Featured speaker Regena Crowchild, from Tsuut’ina Nation, will present “Treaty Promise at 150 Years” at 11 a.m., examining the original promises of Treaty 6 and what honouring them means for future generations — a theme that has also run through recent events like the Treaty Learning Journey that passed through the Border City earlier this year.
Health care and the medicine chest clause
Health is a central theme on Nov. 24. Former Onion Lake Cree Nation chief Wallace Fox is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. on the Treaty 6 Medicine Chest Clause and its connection to modern health-care rights, with First Nations Health Ombudsperson Dr. Dianne Lafond of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation following at 2:15 p.m. to discuss advocating for First Nations people navigating the health system.
Duty to consult and resource rights take centre stage Nov. 25
The conference’s second full day shifts to consultation and resource rights. Terri Quinney of Onion Lake Cree Nation opens the morning at 9 a.m. with a community perspective on the duty to consult, a legal obligation rooted in the Honour of the Crown and Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, that requires governments to consult First Nations when proposed actions could affect treaty rights.
At 10:45 a.m., former Treaty 6 Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker will look at the long-term impacts of the 1930 Natural Resources Transfer Agreements, which handed control of Crown lands and resources to the Prairie provinces and continue to shape hunting, fishing and trapping rights today. Indigenous rights advocate Bryce Tippe closes out the afternoon session at 2:30 p.m. with a look at consultation through the lens of public policy and advocacy.
The conference wraps up with a closing ceremony at 3:30 p.m. featuring representatives from sponsor Northplex and Inspire Group, with door prizes and bingo offered throughout the three days.
Registration and the full schedule are available through the event website, and organizers say all members of the public are welcome to attend any portion of the programming.
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