Of all the times...

Just after a week when an exceptional amount of attention has been paid to aboriginal issues, and just before a meeting with Canada's premiers, the leading coalition pushing the First Nations cause seems to be splintering:

The Assembly of First Nations' call for a united voice going into the upcoming First Ministers' Meeting began to unravel Wednesday as the Quebec chiefs pulled out of the process...

The Quebec chiefs maintained they want to protect and preserve their treaty rights and will not come to the table with the provinces to negotiate with a province, Quebec, that is continually challenging those inherent and treaty rights in the courts.

The problem with the action of the Quebec chiefs is that a seat at the First Ministers' Meeting has long been a (reasonable) demand of the AFN. By walking away from the table, these chiefs are in effect rebuking the premiers' demonstration of respect. And that doesn't seem likely to do much other than to make their relationship with the Quebec provincial government all the more contentious. If anything, a continued presence within the negotiations would offer a chance to better highlight, and perhaps resolve, the chiefs' concerns.

It's understandable that as with any political coalition, there are bound to be some divisions within the AFN. But both the timing and the nature of the current dissent within the AFN seems all too likely to undermine the work of all parties involved.