Healthcare, housing, and American tariffs were among the list of topics discussed at the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River all candidates forum hosted by the PAGC on Thursday, but natural resource sharing dominated the discussion.
Elders, chiefs, and band council members from across northern Saskatchewan gathered at the Days Inn in Prince Albert for the forum. Candidates were given 30 minutes to speak and answer questions.
The subject frequently turned to the Natural Resources Transfer Acts (NRTA) of 1930 after FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said he wanted the constituency’s next MP to advocate for “doing away” with the NRTA. Cameron said the move would ensure First Nations are full partners in natural resource development.
“It means more investment for our homeless, our housing crises, our detox wellness centres, our youth and elders who need to be taken care of, (and) our own on reserve tribal police,” Cameron said. “Do away with the 1930 NRTA. The candidates, when you come up to speak, will you, when elected, one of you, be a champion and support our First Nations when doing away and extinguishing the 1930 NRTA? Will you do that to your own party? That’s a tough question.”
There were three NRTAs signed in 1930, one each for Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. The acts transferred crown lands and natural resource jurisdiction from the federal government to the provinces.
Cameron said First Nations have been trying to get the NRTA rescinded for years. They brought the matter up with former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Saskatchewan, Cameron said, but were told the federal government would not discuss it.
“To not do that means you’re not helping First Nations thrive and survive and invest in their own people,” Cameron said.
Thursday’s forum featured three of the four candidates running the constituency. Former Saskatchewan Rivers NDP candidate Doug Racine is running for the NDP. Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Jim Lemaigre will represent the Conservatives and former NDP MLA Buckley Belanger will represent the Liberals. Green Party candidate Jackie Hanson did not attend.
Lemaigre is the only confirmed candidate listed on Elections Canada’s website. Nominations do not close until Monday, April 7.
Racine, a military veteran and lawyer, said he would have his “elbows up” if elected and sent to Ottawa. He said many Canadians mistakenly think First Nations want to take those resources away, but First Nations want a seat at the table, not full control.
“If you make the First Nations co-partners, the country actually becomes healthier,” Racine said.
“This isn’t about taking all these resources away. It’s about sharing them properly,” he added.
Lemaigre, a former RCMP officer, said the NRTA was something PAGC Chief Brian Hardlotte discussed with him while he was an MLA. If elected MP, Lemaigre said he would support an optional First Nations resource charge that would enable First Nations to take back control of their resources and money.
“That is going to go to people,” Lemaigre said. “As an elected official, it would be my responsibility to hold our government to statements like that (and) to make sure that when we say what we’re going to do, that we’re going to follow through.”
Belanger, who was elected mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse in 2024 before deciding to run federally, said it would be tough to renegotiate the NRTA because it has impacts right across the country.
“We need to find a way (to) argue that point well,” Belanger told Cameron. “I don’t have all the details, but you can appreciate that one thing I want to do is make sure northern Saskatchewan is served well.”
Belanger said the best way to make that happen is ensure federal money is sent directly to First Nations instead of going through the provincial government.
The 1930 NRTA has long been a contentious issue. In 2023, more than 20 Saskatchewan chiefs gathered in Saskatoon to announce a legal challenge, arguing First Nations leaders at the time were excluded from the decision.
Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte wrote in his introduction to the 2021 PAGC Annual Report that work on the NRTA had “picked up a lot of support” in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. In the same report, Vice Chief Joseph Tsannie wrote that the NRTA violated treaty rights, and needed to be addressed for meaningful reconciliation to take place.
Mineral exploration hit a 10-year high in Saskatchewan in 2023, with uranium exploration leading the way. There are 34 minerals and metals listened on Canada’s Critical Minerals list that are considered essential to a wide range of products, with 27 of them found in Saskatchewan.
The provincial government reported Saskatchewan’s mining industry posted its second-highest sales revenue results ever in 2023 largely due to increased potash and uranium sales. Mineral sales were more than $12.8 billion in 2023, with exploration expenditures hitting $357 million.
Northern Saskatchewan is home to the world’s largest high-grade uranium deposits. In 2023, Saskatchewan was the world’s second largest uranium producer.
Uranium mining in northern Saskatchewan is monitored by the Northern Saskatchewan Environmental Quality Committee (NSEQC). The committee was established by the province in 1995, after a Joint Federal-Provincial Panel recommended local residents have more input into decisions about uranium mines.
PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte welcomed attendees to the forum following an Elders prayer. Hardlotte said they wanted to host a candidates forum because the upcoming election was “critical” for northern First Nations.
He said addressing the issues of addictions, gangs, and housing are all priorities for northern First Nations, but those priorities haven’t always been shared by other levels of government.
“Many, many times there’s good meetings, where we invite the ministers,” he said. “Good meetings, but sometimes no action.”
Hardlotte urged all in attendance to listen to what each candidate had to say and make an informed decision, because the PAGC would have to work with whoever was elected.
“Let’s not rush,” he said. “I think this is a very, very important meeting. We have to talk about the issues and listen to every candidate.”
The federal election is scheduled for Monday, April 28. Advance voting takes place from April 18-21.
