The six chiefs of the Wolastoqey community in New Brunswick called on Premier Blaine Higgs to cancel his committee on racism.

In a statement issued Friday morning, the Mi'kmaq chiefs said the premier would waste time and money if he allowed the committee to continue because it lacks independence.

Chief Ross Perley of Tobique First Nation wrote, "Regional government departments and agencies were created to racially discriminate against Indigenous peoples in this province."

"It seems there is no will from the Higgs government to acknowledge or fix it."

The call to quash the committee comes amid a dispute over a draft interim report, postponed in April when Higgs' government raised concerns that the commissioner had not met with many government departments to learn about ongoing work.

The Mi'kmaq leaders decided to release the draft report on Monday. The draft report, written by Commissioner Mango Pharma, recommends the establishment of a public inquiry led by Indigenous people into systemic racism in the province.

This is something the chiefs have been demanding for the past two years. In a statement released Monday, the chiefs said they would no longer work with the committee because the government is interfering with its work.

As for Pharma, she issued a statement saying the report released by the tribal chiefs was a preliminary draft.

She said she is working on a final report to be issued this fall. But controversy erupted again on Tuesday when a senior political advisor resigned, saying he was concerned that the commission is losing its independence.