President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated statements about a possible annexation of Canada to the United States provoked a strong reaction from the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.
Inherent rights predate creation of these two nations
These statements are not only insulting, but also deeply worrying, because they undermine the sovereignty of indigenous peoples whose inherent rights to these territories predate the very creation of these two nations.
In a statement, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak stressed that First Nations reject these eccentric and disrespectful statements regarding their ancestral and traditional territories, highlighting that the borders that separate Canada and the United States cross the ancestral lands and traditional territories of numerous indigenous peoples, tribes and nations. Donald Trump has stated on several occasions that Canada should be annexed to the United States as the 51st state of that country.
We, the First Nations, have lived on our lands and territories since time immemorial, long before the establishment of colonial borders. The AFN chief points out that indigenous peoples have inherent and treaty-based rights to self-determination, which are recognized by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
After mentioning international treaties concluded with the Crown, as well as constitutional recognition and protection, Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak added that First Nations speak on their behalf on the international stage and have many international allies, including peoples, tribes and nations located south of the Canada-US border.
The Canadian indigenous leader also evoked in her statement the long history of sacrifice of First Nations, who fought for the freedoms of other nations in two world wars, in peacekeeping missions and in other conflicts.”
Firm determination to protect the rights, lands, territories and sovereignty of all the First Nations
In expressing the AFN’s firm determination to protect the rights, lands, territories and sovereignty of all the First Nations it represents, Woodhouse Nepinak stated categorically that any suggestions or discussions about the future of our ancestral lands and traditional territories must and will include us.
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