Assembley of First Nations (Image Credit: AFN)

By Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press

Politics

Alberta separation needs First Nations’ permission, says AFN national chief

Feb 10, 2026 | 4:03 PM

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says Alberta separatists will not be taking treaty land.

Speaking at an AFN conference on Tuesday in Calgary, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak again denounced the separatist movement in Alberta as “illegitimate” and “unconstitutional.”

Some other Indigenous leaders at the conference echoed her distaste for separatist sentiment in Alberta.

Several First Nation communities in Alberta are legally challenging the legislation for citizen-led petitions in the province, which has allowed questions on a separation referendum.

Woodhouse Nepinak says separation from Canada requires the collective consent of First Nations in Canada.

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She says Alberta separation, fuelled by misinformation and foreign interference, risks rupturing the country.

“They can take the dirt that maybe their ancestors brought with them under their fingernails when they came over here from other places,” said Woodhouse Nepinak. “Canada is treaty territory, First Nations were here first, Canada is First Nations land, each and every square inch of it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.