U of A flies Treaty 6 and Métis flags for the first time

On September 3, the University of Alberta raised the Treaty 6 and Métis flags on its North Campus for the first time in its history. The flag raising ceremony coincided with the official opening of the newly constructed University Commons.

President and Vice-chancellor Bill Flanagan, Vice-provost (Indigenous programming and research) Florence Glanfield, and members of Treaty 6 Nations and the Métis community were in attendance. Other guests included Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Salma Lakhani and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi.

The ceremony included performances from singing and drumming group Northern Cree — lead by U of A alumni Steve Wood — and fiddle player and Juno-nominee Brianna Lizotte. 

Enoch Cree Nation Chief Cody Thomas raised the Treaty 6 flag, and Lisa Wolfe, Otipemisiwak Métis Government’s provincial secretary of education, training, language, and veterans affairs, raised the Métis flag.

The newly raised flags fly alongside those of U of A, Alberta, and Canada in the University Commons flag plaza.

“These flags are not just symbols,” Dubé says

Tamara Dubé, Vice-president Indigenous Relations (VPIR) of the U of A Graduate Student’s Association (GSA), spoke as the student voice at the ceremony. Dubé is Red River Métis.

“These flags are not just symbols. They declare that most of the U of A stands on Treaty 6 territory and on the homeland of the Métis,” Dubé said in her speech. “They remind us that Indigenous Peoples have always been part of this place, we are part of this place, and we will always be part of this place.”

In a statement to The Gateway, Dubé described the experience of being one of the speakers at the ceremony as being “incredibly humbling.”

“It was also very moving to gather with the four Indigenous people who have served as executives in the GSA over its 53-year history,” she said.

Along with Dubé, these people include Glanfield, a former GSA president, Benjamin J. Kucher, 2024–25 vice-president (student life), and Nathan Lamarche, associate vice-president (labour) (AVPL).

Dubé also emphasized that we are all treaty people.

“It basically signified the unending and perpetual nature of treaty promises, which are intended to last as long as the natural world itself persists. The concept embodies Indigenous understanding of treaties as living agreements of respect and reciprocity, tied to the land and its enduring cycles, rather than simply static legal documents.”