Thank You for Joining Us: Treaty Pay 2026 and What Comes Next

Dear Michel Descendants,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our annual Treaty Pay Event last weekend, whether you attended in person in Edmonton or joined us virtually. We appreciate the time you took to participate, listen, ask questions and contribute to the conversation.

Treaty Pay has always been an important opportunity to come together as descendants, honour our shared history and reaffirm the enduring relationship established through Treaty 6. However, this year carried particular significance as we gathered as the Michel Calihoo Nation Society is set to begin formal discussions with the government of Canada to reinstate the Michel Band.

We appreciated the thoughtful and, at times, challenging discussion that took place among descendants, both in the room and online. There are understandably many questions about what comes next. At this stage, we are focussing on developing a process with Canada to address these questions.

The beginning of formal discussions with Canada does not mean that decisions have already been made. Quite the opposite. There is considerable work ahead on important matters such as governance, membership, financial management, an election code and the process that would ultimately lead to a future Band election.

These are important issues, and descendants should have opportunities to understand them, ask questions and contribute their perspectives as the process moves forward.

Further to the discussion last weekend, the MCNS Board wants to establish as many meaningful ways as possible for descendants to participate.

That means looking beyond a single meeting or event and creating different opportunities for engagement -- recognizing that descendants live in different communities, have different perspectives and may prefer different ways of participating.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will be looking at opportunities for descendant meetings and information sessions, virtual participation, written questions and feedback, regular updates, and other ways for descendants to contribute to the discussions and decisions that lie ahead.

We also welcome your thoughts about how that engagement should occur. If there are approaches that would make it easier for you or members of your family to participate, we want to hear them at info@michelcallihoonationsociety.com.

Healthy discussion is part of rebuilding a Nation. There will be different views, difficult questions and important choices along the way. What matters is that descendants have access to good information, opportunities to be heard and a meaningful role in shaping what comes next.

This work belongs to Michel descendants. Generations before us kept our Nation, our families and our identity alive when there was no clear path forward. We now have an opportunity and a responsibility to carry that work forward carefully, transparently and together.

Thank you again to everyone who participated last weekend, whether in person or virtually, and to all descendants who continue to be part of this important work.

Michel Callihoo Nation Society Board of Directors