Provincial Conferences of Saskatchewan Indian Chiefs and Councillors at Fort Qu'Appelle

One hundred and three councillors and Chiefs attended a conference of Indigenous leaders in Fort Qu'Appelle on October 30, 1958, during which Premier T.C. Douglas presented proposals on liquor and voting rights. In an effort to implement an integrationist policy, Douglas sought to pass legislation extending provincial voting rights to First Nations, removing restrictions on the sale of liquor on reserves, and the transfer of responsibility from Indian Affairs to the provincial government. The issue of provincial franchise was controversial since the term resembled "enfranchisement", the term used in the Indian Act to describe a colonial process by which an someone lost their ‘Indian Status,’ gained the vote, and were forced to leave their reserve. Since enfranchisement meant the loss of material goods and a ‘legal identity,’ many First Nations peoples were hesitant to accept the vote. Others felt that allowing liquor on reserves was not in the best interest of their populations.

Following deliberations, those present advised Douglas to wait until further consultations with band members had completed so as to avoid conflict. This conference also saw the creation of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians (FSI), a unified organization for Indigenous peoples across the province. As the government's policies faced rejection Douglas’ government aimed to adopt a more consultative style, and created an Advisory Committee composed of one Indigenous member from each of the nine agencies in the province. The committee was set up to help plan the next conference and consult with members on reserves. A second conference took place at Fort Qu'Appelle on October 20 and 21, 1959. As with the first conference, no consensus was obtained regarding voting and liquor rights.