Bellegarde pushes Liberals to save parts of Indigenous chapter in NAFTA deal
OTTAWA — The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is asking the federal government to consider moving parts of a promised Indigenous chapter to other parts of a renewed North American Free Trade Agreement after negotiators dropped the separate section in ongoing talks.
In a letter sent to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland last Friday, Perry Bellegarde said that excluding the chapter — designed to recognize and protect inherent and treaty rights — would be a “lost opportunity” for the country and for efforts on economic reconciliation with First Nations.
The U.S. and Canada have been working towards finding common ground on reflecting the rights of Indigenous people and women in a renewed NAFTA, but sources with knowledge of the talks say distinct chapters on each fell off the table earlier this year.
Bellegarde’s letter laments the promise “may not come to fruition.”