Carney to address Assembly of First Nations after Alberta pipeline deal

Prime Minister Mark Carney will address hundreds of First Nations chiefs gathered in Ottawa today for the December meeting of the Assembly of First Nations.

Carney’s appearance before the chiefs could be a tense moment, coming just days after Ottawa signed a pipeline agreement with Alberta, which some First Nations leaders have condemned over a lack of consultation and environmental risks.

“Canada is at a crossroads in its relationship with First Nations,” Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak told The Canadian Press.

“Our rights are being threatened in new ways, but we’re not afraid. Far from it. First Nations across the country are stronger than ever.”

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Prime ministers and their cabinets traditionally attend the December meeting to gauge the outlook of First Nations leadership and field chiefs’ questions and criticisms.

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Carney participated in a similar event once before, when he hosted chiefs in Gatineau, Que., to discuss his government’s controversial major projects legislation in July.

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Woodhouse Nepinak said Carney would be wise to come to the meeting with firm commitments to things the chiefs want, such as the clean drinking water legislation that died when the federal election was called earlier this year.

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Some of the most prominent members of Carney’s cabinet will address the chiefs over the course of the three-day gathering: Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, National Defence Minister David McGuinty and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.

Hodgson found himself in hot water last week when he brushed off concerns from Coastal First Nations about failing to meet with them before the pipeline agreement was signed with Alberta.

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“It’s called Zoom,” Hodgson quipped on CBC’s “Power and Politics” when asked about Coastal First Nations president Marilyn Slett’s inability to make the trip to Vancouver on short notice for a meeting.

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He apologized for those remarks, saying on social media it was a “poor choice of words” and offering to meet with the First Nations “at their convenience.”

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First Nations leaders have for months criticized the Carney government’s approach to First Nations, saying its actions signal a major shift in the tone of the relationship set by former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

They have accused his government of introducing legislation that affects them without their consent or co-operation as it seeks to remake the economy in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.

Woodhouse Nepinak acknowledged “Canada is going through challenging times,” but insisted Carney won’t get the economic wins he wants by shutting First Nations out of the conversation.

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“Canada can create all the MOUs, projects offices and advisory groups (it wants), but chiefs will be united — and are united — when it comes to the approval of projects on First Nations lands,” she said. “There will be no getting around rights-holders.”

The three-day assembly, which chiefs use to pass resolutions the AFN’s executive committee then works to implement, will also focus on changes to the Indian Act and First Nations status eligibility, First Nations child welfare and the growing infrastructure gap.

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