Treaty chiefs back Saddle Lake Cree Nation’s assertion of health jurisdiction

Treaty chiefs from across Alberta have unanimously passed an emergency resolution supporting Saddle Lake Cree Nation’s assertion of Treaty and inherent jurisdiction over health care, adding significant political weight to a move first announced earlier this month. According to a Sept. 17 release from Saddle Lake, the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs representing Treaties 6, 7 and 8, along with the Blackfoot Confederacy, endorsed the Nation’s decision to invoke Treaty 6’s medicine chest clause and develop its own health-care framework. The resolution follows Saddle Lake’s Sept. 9 announcement that it intends to provide gender-affirming care on its lands, arguing that health care is protected by Treaty and falls within its jurisdiction.

Saddle Lake says its plans go beyond gender-affirming care. The Nation is developing a health law covering primary, specialist and allied health services and is advancing a pan-Canadian clinician licensing model that would allow Canadian-trained health professionals to practise within its system without relying solely on provincial licensing structures. Chief Dale Steinhauer has framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to rebuild a Cree health system grounded in Treaty rights and traditional understandings of health, while the Sept. 17 resolution says Treaty Nations have never relinquished responsibility for the health and well-being of their citizens. Treaty 6’s medicine chest clause has long been interpreted by First Nations as an ongoing promise of health care, though the precise legal scope of that commitment remains contested.

The resolution also signals that Saddle Lake’s move is no longer an isolated assertion by a single First Nation. Chiefs supporting the measure say Treaty-based health jurisdiction can include gender-affirming care and Nation-designed health systems, while Saddle Lake has committed to sharing its developing health law and governance model with other interested Treaty Nations. Alberta’s provincial government has restricted access to some gender-affirming medical treatments for minors, but Premier Danielle Smith said last week that the province does not have authority over Saddle Lake Cree Nation and that she respects the Nation’s sovereignty. The emerging question is therefore likely to be how Indigenous, provincial and federal jurisdictions interact as Saddle Lake moves from a political declaration toward operating its own health system.