Blackfoot Confederacy Chiefs Reject Bill 54 and Reassert Treaty Sovereignty

On May 1, 2025, the Chiefs of the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy)—representing the Nations of Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, and Aamskapi Piikani—formally denounced Alberta’s proposed Bill 54, the Citizen-Led Referendum Act. They stated that the bill is incompatible with the Canadian constitutional framework and undermines the legal obligations established through foundational treaty agreements. The Chiefs emphasized that the 1877 Blackfoot Treaty 7, alongside Treaties 6 (1876) and 8 (1899), was negotiated as a nation-to-nation agreement grounded in mutual recognition, peaceful coexistence, and shared stewardship of territory. These treaties were not instruments of land surrender and remain binding legal frameworks within Canada’s constitutional structure.

The Chiefs reaffirmed that Blackfoot sovereignty predates Alberta’s entry into Confederation and is anchored in Nitsitapii natural law, further reinforced by the 1855 Lame Bull Treaty. This sovereignty extends across the imposed Canada-U.S. border, encompassing traditional territories in both Alberta and Montana. As such, the Chiefs argued that provincial referendums—especially those addressing constitutional questions such as separation—lack the jurisdiction to alter, override, or reinterpret treaty rights, which are protected under both domestic and international law.

Today, the Siksikaitsitapi Confederacy governs over 25,000 members and exercises stewardship over approximately 2,500 square kilometers of land in southern Alberta. This governance is enacted through Indigenous legal orders transmitted through generations and remains active in areas including land management, cultural revitalization, and intergovernmental relations. The Confederacy’s responsibilities are grounded in ancestral law and actively uphold Blackfoot nationhood.

The Chiefs called on Premier Danielle Smith to withdraw Bill 54 and redirect provincial focus toward treaty education, reconciliation, and the fulfillment of Alberta’s constitutional and legal obligations to First Nations. They concluded by affirming that the Blackfoot Treaty remains a living, sacred covenant that must continue to guide relationships between governments – “as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow.”

The full statement can be read here: