Image
Image Caption
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney has been awarded the highest honour available from Kainai Nation, which is also known as the Blood Tribe.
Kenney was inducted into the First Nation’s Chieftainship during a ceremony held on July 29.
Kenney, who served as Alberta’s premier from 2019 to 2022, shared the news on his social media platforms.
“Deeply honoured to be have inducted into the Kainai Chieftainship as an Honorary Chief of the Blood Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy,” he said.
Clayton Blood, the chief of staff for Kainai Nation chief Roy Fox, said being inducted into the Kainai Chieftainship is a rather prestigious distinction.
“The headdress and Chieftainship is one of the highest honours for outsiders to be blessed by the Blood Tribe,” he said. “It’s in recognition for what they have done throughout their careers or what they have done to promote the Bloods.”
Kenney offered his thoughts why he received the designation.
“A truly meaningful recognition of the work I did with First Nations to create economic opportunity in the spirit of “reconciliaction,” he said.
Blood agreed that Kenney was indeed a worthy recipient.
“Jason Kenney provided quite a bit of assistance to many of the First Nations in Alberta, including the creation of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation,” he said. “That allowed First Nations some access to capital for joint ventures with other businesses across Canada.”
Blood said Kenney also helped the First Nation in other ways.
“His government did a lot of work with the Bloods in order to address some of the drug problems that plagued our community,” he said. “And there were several other initiatives that Jason Kenney provided, not only in business development but in community issues that affected not only the Bloods but many of the First Nations throughout Alberta.”
The Kainai Chieftainship was launched in 1919. Honorary chiefs help promote the First Nation’s cultural pride and are also a useful resource.
The Chieftainship has a maximum membership of 40 people.
“There are some vacancies when members pass away,” Blood said. “So, what they will do is convene events where they will need to fill up those vacancies.”
For example, last week’s ceremony. Kenney was one of four individuals inducted into the Chieftainship.
The other inductees were Christine Robertson, the president of Indigena Capital, Max Gibb, who is the CEO of the Rocky Mountain Turf Club and Glenn Miller, the Alberta president of the Last Post Fund.
Members of the Nation can put forth names of those they deem worthy of induction.
“Many of these will be nominated by tribal members if possible,” Blood said. “But chief and council will have the final say on who actually gets inducted.”
Kenney resigned as Alberta’s premier in May of 2022, the same day he narrowly survived a confidence vote from his own United Conservative Party (UCP).
Kenney explained he was stepping down from his position so that someone else could try to better unify the UCP.
Blood said he was unaware of any Kainai Nation representatives who were not in favour of Kenney’s induction into the Chieftainship.
“I didn’t hear any opposition to it,” he said. “The internal squabbling between the Conservatives or factions of the Conservatives was an outside issue that we did not really concern ourselves with.”
Blood added Kenney continues to advocate for the First Nation.
“Even though he has left the Premier’s office he also continues to sort of provide some advocacy for the Blood Tribe, with many of his contacts,” he said.
Blood is hoping that one day all inducted members into the Kainai Nation Chieftainship will be properly recognized with displays.
“We’ve been pursuing the establishment of our own museum in our community to house a lot of our artifacts,” he said. “And this would be one wing that we would expect to kind of do some lobbying in order to fundraise and build a wing in memory of passed on members of the Chieftainship.”