Photos courtesy File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, Facebook.
Peaceful protesters temporarily shut down Highway 10 near Fort Qu’Appelle on Wednesday.
More than a dozen people took part in round dances, held signs and flags, and some even rode horses to draw people’s attention. The signs demanded recognition of their treaty rights for things like clean drinking water. RCMP assisted in traffic control during the protest.
The Peepeekisis Cree Nation Council is opposed to the federal government’s new contribution funding agreement.
They say the process forces First Nations leaders to accept poverty, and that it doesn’t allow for negotiations or consultation. The protesters live in Treaty 4 territory, and are supported by the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council.
Peepeekisis’s Chief Michael Koochicum says 142 years after treaty signing, they want to revisit their relationship with the federal government.
