{"id":104818,"date":"2026-05-19T08:43:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/?p=104818"},"modified":"2026-05-19T08:44:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:44:00","slug":"chiefs-respond-to-the-separatist-petition-being-squashed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/chiefs-respond-to-the-separatist-petition-being-squashed\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs respond to the separatist petition being squashed"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald Chiefs from both Piikani and Blackfoot Nations have responded to the squashing of the separatist petition. Last Wednesday, Justice Shaina Leonard ruled the Stay Free Alberta never should have been issued, citing the provincial government\u2019s failure to fulfill its duty to consult with First Nations and the outcome of a successful referendum would create direct and adverse effects on First Nations Treaty rights. This decision comes after a commenced joint legal proceeding from the Blood Tribe, Piikani Nation and Siksika Nation, which began in January. Following court augments from all parties, Mitch Sylvestre, chief executive officer of Alberta Prosperity Project, which is a leader in the Alberta separatist movement, put forward an application which asked Justice Leonard to remove herself from… <\/p>\n

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By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald Chiefs from both Piikani and Blackfoot Nations have responded to the squashing of the separatist petition. Last Wednesday, Justice Shaina Leonard ruled the Stay Free Alberta never should have been issued, citing the provincial government\u2019s failure to fulfill its duty to consult with First Nations and the outcome of a successful referendum would create direct and adverse effects on First Nations Treaty rights. This decision comes after a commenced joint legal proceeding from the Blood Tribe, Piikani Nation and Siksika Nation, which began in January. Following court augments from all parties, Mitch Sylvestre, chief executive officer of Alberta Prosperity Project, which is a leader in the Alberta separatist movement, put forward an application which asked Justice Leonard to remove herself from... <\/p>\n

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Log in here<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":101363,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news","category-ticker","pmpro-level-required","pmpro-level-3","pmpro-level-2","pmpro-level-5","pmpro-level-4","pmpro-level-6","pmpro-level-7","pmpro-level-8","pmpro-no-access"],"yoast_head":"\nChiefs respond to the separatist petition being squashed - The Turtle Island News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/chiefs-respond-to-the-separatist-petition-being-squashed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chiefs respond to the separatist petition being squashed - The Turtle Island News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Alexandra Noad, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald Chiefs from both Piikani and Blackfoot Nations have responded to the squashing of the separatist petition. Last Wednesday, Justice Shaina Leonard ruled the Stay Free Alberta never should have been issued, citing the provincial government\u2019s failure to fulfill its duty to consult with First Nations and the outcome of a successful referendum would create direct and adverse effects on First Nations Treaty rights. This decision comes after a commenced joint legal proceeding from the Blood Tribe, Piikani Nation and Siksika Nation, which began in January. 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