While the Crown in right of Canada now holds the legal responsibility for honouring, implementing and enforcing the Treaty provisions, for First Nations treaty signatories the initial Treaty relationship will always remain with the Crown in right of Great Britain. We have expectations of whoever wears the Crown.
At the time, I was struck by His Majesty’s sincerity and by his passionate commitment to our planet and its future. But more than that, what stayed with me was the memory of how extraordinary and also familiar that conversation was. Extraordinary, because of the novelty of meeting with a member of the Royal Family and the formalities that surround such an occasion.
His Majesty carries a great many titles and honours. For me, the one that stands out is the traditional Cree name that the late Gordon Oakes, an Elder, Chief and Sun Dance leader bestowed upon the future King of Canada and head of the Commonwealth in 2001 when he was the Prince of Wales. The name isThe name echoes the language of the numbered Treaties. The name also invokes one of our most important teachings.