Richard Feehan, NDP Critic for Indigenous Relations, made the following statement in response to the dissolution of the Protocol Agreement between Treaty Six and Alberta:
“I am profoundly saddened and frustrated to see Premier Jason Kenney inflict so much damage on the relationship between First Nations and the Province of Alberta, damage that has led the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations to dissolve its Protocol Agreement with the province.
“It’s clear from Grand Chief Watchmaker’s statement that the Kenney government has failed to work collaboratively with Treaty Six First Nations for some time.
“The premier’s recent remarks were profoundly harmful. While Albertans are confronting the horror of a mass grave filled with the remains of hundreds of Indigenous children, the premier felt that was the moment for him to defend one the central figures in the residential school system.
“This follows a determined effort by the Kenney government to delay teaching the history of residential schools in their draft curriculum, in clear contravention of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“Through their words and actions, Jason Kenney and the UCP are unravelling years of work towards reconciliation.”