Alberta, Saskatchewan Object to Federal Minister’s Comments About Rescinding Natural Resources Agreements With Prairie Provinces

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks during a media event at the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon on June 28, 2022. Liam Richards/The Canadian Press

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed objections Monday to comments made by federal Justice Minister David Lametti that suggest the feds could consider rescinding natural resource agreements with the provinces.

Moe said on April 10 that it was “outrageous” that Lametti told the Assembly of First Nation’s Special Chiefs in Ottawa that he would consider rescinding the 1930s Natural Resources Transfer Agreements.

The agreements give constitutional control over respective natural resources to the three Prairie Provinces—Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba.

The April 5 meeting between Lametti, other government officials, and various indigenous communities was to discuss the federal government’s work with respect to the United Nationals Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and included a question and answer period with the justice minister.

Justice Minister David Lametti speaks during a Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers press conference on bail reform in Ottawa, on March 10, 2023. Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press

First Nations Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte, of the Prince Albert Grand Council, made a presentation calling on Lametti to “rescind the act, the Natural Resource Transfer Act, that affect the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.”

“That’s what we’re asking you, minister, as an action item with a statement. It affects our treaty rights, of course, under the Sask First Act, that we hear about. And it’s to do with natural resources, Indian natural resources,” Hardlotte said.

Chief R. Donald Maracle, of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, made a statement suggesting Canada exports natural resources to other countries and earns “trillions of dollars in revenue from those resources.”

“Resources were given to the provinces without ever asking one Indian if it was okay to do that, or what benefits would the First Nations expect to receive,” said Maracle.

“I take from Chief Brian and Chief Don Maracle the point about the natural resources transfer agreement,“ Lametti responded. ”You’re on the record for that. I obviously can’t pronounce on that right now, but I do commit to looking at that. It won’t be uncontroversial, is the only thing I would say, with a bit of a smile.”

Saskatchewan

On April 10, the Saskatchewan premier called Lametti’s comments “outrageous and ill-informed.” Moe said the agreements and the provinces’ control over natural resources have been entrenched in the Canadian Constitution since 1930.

“On what basis does the federal Justice Minister think he has the authority to unilaterally strip Saskatchewan and the other western provinces of our constitutional authority over our natural resources?” he said.

Moe added that Saskatchewan “has always had reason to be concerned about this federal government’s agenda to infringe on provincial jurisdiction and autonomy.” Moe said the province will be “relentless” in defending its jurisdiction and autonomy.

In what Moe declared as a “major step in defending our economic potential from federal overreach,” the province proclaimed the Saskatchewan First Act into law on April 6, following its passage in the legislature in March.

The act amends the Constitution of Saskatchewan to confirm its autonomy over three areas that are laid out in the Canadian Constitution in a section on resources: exploration for non-renewable natural resources; the management of non-renewable and forestry resources; and the operation facilities for electrical energy production.

At the time, some First Nations groups argued the act could infringe on their treaty rights.

Following Lametti’s comments to the indigenous chiefs, Moe said he was calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “immediately” tell Lametti “he has no business even speculating about rescinding western provinces’ constitutional authority” to control their own natural resources.

Alberta

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also responded, stating that any attempt by the federal government to rescind the natural resources agreement “would pose an unprecedented risk to national unity.”

“Alberta condemns this federal threat in the strongest possible terms,” she said.

Smith indicated she would be in contact with Moe and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson to discuss next steps, and added she was calling on Trudeau to immediately make Lametti “retract and apologize for these comments.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at a press conference in Edmonton on Oct. 11, 2022. Jason Franson/The Canadian Press

Provincial Jurisdiction

Shannon Stubbs, Conservative MP and shadow minister for Natural Resources, said on social media on April 10 that the Liberals were “openly talking about taking control of natural resources away from the provinces.”

“During debates on the no more pipelines bill C 69, Conservatives warned that the Liberals would try to interfere in provincial jurisdiction,” Stubbs said.

She said the provinces should unite in opposition, and called for the federal minister to “walk back his threats immediately.”

Stubbs said natural resources support the entire Canadian economy and the livelihoods of thousands of indigenous Canadians.

“The Liberal Justice Minister ‘looking at’ taking control of natural resources from the provinces is just about control. The Liberals pick winners and losers in Canadian resource development so they can shut down the parts they don’t like. They’ve killed five pipelines,” she said.

Former opposition leader and veteran politician Stockwell Day said regarding Lametti’s comments that the Liberal/NDP Alliance is “road testing a number of frightening power grabs in several areas of our lives.”

“If they don’t hear reaction, their steamroller will continue crushing vital hopes of provincial progress, all for the purpose of ‘enriching Rome (Ottawa) and crushing the vassals’. Silence is not an option,” Day said on social media.

Government Response

The federal Department of Justice responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment on April 11, with a link to a social media statement made by Lametti.

The statement said that Lametti is the minister responsible for implementing the United Nations Declaration Act (UNDA) into federal laws and policies and that he met with First Nations leaders to discuss the implementation of the Act.

“Amongst the many questions I was asked, the Natural Resources Transfer Act was raised by First Nations Chiefs,” he said. “It is part of my job to listen to those concerns. To be clear, at no point did I commit our government to reviewing areas of provincial jurisdiction, including that over natural resources,” said Lametti.

The justice minister said the focus of the federal government is to “co-develop an action plan with Indigenous partners that will show the path we must take towards aligning federal laws and policies with UNDRIP.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comments from the Justice Department. 

Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.