National Indigenous leaders hope to renew relationship with Crown after meeting King Charles

National Indigenous leaders say their historic meeting with King Charles on Thursday, two days before his coronation, marks the start of a new chapter in relations between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples.

This is the first time that the British monarch has sat together with representatives of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. It was also the only audience the King gave to Canadians during his coronation, which took place on Saturday.

The meeting at Buckingham Palace was organized by Governor General Mary Simon, the first Indigenous person to represent the King in Canada. He also attended the meeting.

In an interview with the CBC’s Renee Filippone at Canada House afterward, leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, Métis and Inuit National Council Tapiriit Kanatami called the discussions “positive” and “productive.” He was scheduled to speak for 45 minutes but the conversation lasted almost an hour.

“This is a very important day and we hope that it leads to more formal work, but also more positive relations between the King and representatives of Indigenous people in Canada,” Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) President Natan Obed said.

WATCH | National Indigenous leaders describe their meeting with King Charles

The three leaders were given space to talk individually about who they are as First Nations, Inuit and Métis, share priorities, hear the King’s views and create a path forward, Métis National Council President Cassidy Caron said.

“When I spoke with the King today, I mentioned something from one of my elders, who said that a relationship is built over 100 cups of tea,” said Caron.

“Today, we have the first cup of tea, to build these relationships, to identify common priorities and we move forward together, to find ways to work together that will make real and tangible changes in our community.”

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief RoseAnne Archibald said she opened the meeting with a prayer written by one of her special advisers. He said the prayer was about the seven generations to come and was meant to focus the meeting on making positive changes for the future.

He said the leaders invited Charles III to visit the community on his next trip to Canada.

“We really need to come full circle with the Crown, to return to a place where we are respected and thanked,” Archibald said.

“This is the beginning of that movement and, yes, it will take some time.”

WATCH | AFN National Head on progress with Crown

Archibald said he left the palace feeling optimistic about the prospect of the King apologizing for colonization and the Anglican Church’s role in residential schools.

“I believe we will one day – maybe not next year or not in the next five years – but we will apologize the same way we apologized to the Pope,” Archibald said.

The Anglican Church runs more than three dozen residential school institutions in Canada. They were created to separate Indigenous children from their families and indoctrinate them into the culture of the dominant Euro-Christian society, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Although the Anglican Church has apologized to the home school survivors, the bishop – as the highest governor of the Church of England, which is part of the Anglican Communion – has not.

Caron said he spoke with the King about recognition for Métis residential school survivors, who were not part of the $1.9 billion Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement and were not given an official apology from the prime minister.

“Hopefully, we can use our collective moral influence to continue to raise awareness of these issues and work together to find solutions,” Caron said.

MMIWG, the return of Indigenous artefacts is also discussed

Obed said he wants to work with the King and the British government to return Indigenous cultural items to their communities of origin and ensure they are respected.

“This is something that we also want to do going forward, not only the King, but the British government in terms of repatriation or documentation of seized items,” said Obed.

When the participants of the meeting said the King did not make a commitment, they said they discussed the interest in climate change, indigenous knowledge, housing and reconciliation.

WATCH | The president of ITK describes his meeting with King

Archibald said he spoke to Charles III about the issue of indigenous women, girls and two men who were killed and murdered.

He said he talks about it at every international meeting, and he thinks it’s very important to discuss it with King Charles, who is the new commissioner of the RCMP.

Archibald said he asked Charles III to support and acknowledge the Call for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children.

“Genocide is an ongoing activity,” Archibald said.

Niigaan Sinclair, a professor of indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba, told CBC News it was important for Indigenous leaders to meet with the King because the country and the Crown were equal partners in the treaties signed before Confederation.

Many Indigenous leaders asked Queen Elizabeth II to intervene to break the treaty, but nothing was done.

“Unfortunately, the Crown has not listened in the past, so I have no optimism that the Crown or this King will listen,” said Winnipeg Free Press columnist Sinclair.

“But at the same time, this King has shown more interest than his mother.”

Sinclair said the King could respond to Obed’s call to return the stolen artifact.

“That’s where the real action can take place,” Sinclair said.

Responding to the TRC’s Call to Action

Another major step Charles III could have taken toward reconciliation was to renounce the Doctrine of Discovery, Sinclair said. He said this would force the federal government to address outstanding Indigenous land claims.

Centuries-old papal decrees – issued in 1455 and 1493 – were used to justify the seizure of Native American lands by colonial powers.

The doctrine led King George III to issue the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which declared all land in North America to be Crown land.

Pope Francis officially renounced the Doctrine of Discovery last March – something Sinclair hopes King Charles will do as well.

“It’s going to be a big step,” Sinclair said.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Sinclair’s father, Murray Sinclair, asked the Government of Canada to jointly develop a Royal Proclamation of Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples to be issued by the Crown.

This will reaffirm the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Crown, reject the concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples, and ensure Indigenous law is recognized in the process of negotiation and implementation involving treaties.