The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) has joined leaders of Indigenous communities in Alberta in defending treaty rights from a burgeoning separatism movement in that province.

Alberta’s premier, Danielle Smith, announced in May that the province would move forward with a non-binding referendum question relating to separating from Canada, even after an Alberta judge quashed a petition for a similar, albeit more direct, referendum, citing a failure to consult First Nations.