The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says any attempt by Alberta to separate from Canada would require the consent of First Nations and cannot proceed without respecting treaty rights.

Speaking Tuesday at an AFN conference in Calgary, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak described the province’s separatist movement as illegitimate and unconstitutional. She said Canada is founded on treaties between the Crown and First Nations, and those agreements would remain in force regardless of provincial political movements.

“Canada is treaty territory,” Woodhouse Nepinak told delegates. “First Nations were here first. Canada is First Nations land, each and every square inch of it.” She added that Alberta separatists “will not be taking treaty land.”

Several Indigenous leaders at the gathering echoed concerns about renewed separatist rhetoric in Alberta, saying it overlooks constitutionally protected treaty relationships and Indigenous sovereignty. Woodhouse Nepinak argued that separation from Canada would require the collective consent of First Nations across the country.

The comments come as several First Nation communities in Alberta pursue legal challenges against the province’s citizen initiated referendum legislation, which allows petitioners to advance questions on issues including separation. Chiefs have argued the law fails to adequately consider treaty obligations and Indigenous rights.

Woodhouse Nepinak also warned that misinformation and foreign interference are contributing to division, and said any move toward separation risks destabilizing democratic institutions and long standing nation to nation agreements.