First Nations, premiers and Carney to meet Monday

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says Monday’s First Nations-First Ministers meeting in Ottawa is historic, but she does not want it to be a one-time event, The Canadian Press reported.

The meeting will bring Prime Minister Mark Carney, the premiers and First Nations leaders together. Woodhouse Nepinak said past national chiefs had to push for years to open such doors. “We don’t want it to be one-and-done,” she said. “We don’t want it to fall flat and not offer hope again.”

It comes as Carney’s government works to speed up major project approvals. Soon after Carney was elected in 2025, Ottawa passed legislation creating an office to streamline major projects and approve them within a year. First Nations leaders warned the shorter timelines would interfere with their rights and lead to court challenges. Several provinces have passed similar laws.

Tensions have also grown over the land claims process in British Columbia, the newly announced Pacific Link pipeline project in Alberta and development of the Ring of Fire mineral region in Ontario. Métis leaders have said they were shut out of Pacific Link talks.

The Assembly of First Nations has spent months preparing, holding town halls with chiefs and releasing position papers last week on economic development, policing and public safety, employment and health. Gina Wilson, who recently served as deputy minister at Indigenous Services Canada, helped advise chiefs on their priorities.

A main goal is a First Nations sovereign wealth fund, proposed by Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. Chief Joe Miskokomon has told The Canadian Press the fund would pool capital, bypass governments and let major projects move faster by giving communities more say over investments. We reported on an AFN draft seeking a First Nations-controlled wealth fund earlier.

The AFN will host a day of ceremony on Sunday, before the Monday meeting. Woodhouse Nepinak said such ceremonies were once prohibited under the Indian Act, so it matters that Carney and the premiers attend.

The meeting also follows Monday’s Alberta referendum, in which First Nations leaders had been vocal. See our reports on First Nations running short of ballots in Alberta and the AFN’s stand with Treaties 6, 7 and 8.

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