City of Calgary signs deal for closer ties with Blackfoot Confederacy
The City of Calgary on Friday signed an agreement with a group of Indigenous organizations deemed to be the first of its kind, although doubts about whether the terms in the document would be respected linger among First Nations members.
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The Memorandum of Understanding on Communication and Co-operation between the city and the Blackfoot Confederacy will determine how the two governing bodies engage with one another and strengthen their relationship.
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The document includes 10 non-binding agreements, such as wishing to learn about one another and identifying opportunities for collaboration; establishing a productive working relationship based on areas of mutual benefit; and affirming mutual respect and collaboration to promote environmental sustainability.
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The event, which was attended by the chiefs of several communities, including Piikani and Siksika First Nations, began with a privately held pipe ceremony, a sacred Indigenous tradition in which participants vow to be truthful and respectful while following the agreements made at the time of the meeting.
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'We are on a journey with nation partners to understand how we best enter into relationships,' Mayor Jyoti Gondek told reporters.
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'And being able to do this memorandum of understanding today and to sit in ceremony before that is a really important way for us to engage with Indigenous partners and to understand what partnership actually looks like.'
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Piikani Nation Chief Troy Knowlton said to 'recognize that this land is Siksikaitsitapi — Blackfoot — that's an honour.'
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'Time will tell' if agreement will be respected, chief says
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However, he was quick to point out his disappointment with how a memorandum between Indigenous organizations and Alberta was purportedly breached following legislation proposed by the UCP government that, among other things, makes it easier for a referendum to leave Canada to appear as a ballot question.
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'It tells us that the MOU is not being honoured and that it's not being respected,' Knowlton said. 'And I made comments to the City of Calgary, the time will tell if this MOU has something that's going to be respected by the city.'
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He added he hopes the agreement leads to partnerships in several industries that will yield economic benefits for his community members, starting with tourism.
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'Tourism is one of the biggest parts of the economic drivers of this province,' Knowlton said. 'One of the problems I see with the Indigenous Tourism Association, they're all led by Metis.
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'They don't look like me. So when you're looking at the Indigenous Tourism of Alberta that's led by people who look Caucasian, who want to cash in on the Metis type of self-identification, that doesn't help us a whole lot.'
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