National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said the Prime Minister will take questions from the chiefs at the special assembly Tuesday.JOHN WOODS/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney and at least seven cabinet ministers plan to attend an Assembly of First Nations gathering in Ottawa this week, where issues around consultation and major projects are expected to top the agenda.
The AFN will host a Special Chiefs Assembly from Tuesday to Thursday. The organization, led by National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, advocates on behalf of more than 630 communities.
Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said Mr. Carney will address the chiefs and take questions from them on Tuesday afternoon.
The assembly comes at a fraught time in the relationship between the federal government and First Nations leaders.
Mr. Carney’s address will take place the week after he signed a controversial memorandum of understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that could lead to the construction of a pipeline to British Columbia’s north coast, a project vehemently opposed by Coastal First Nations.
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First Nations in Canada were already wary about being left out of talks to turbo-charge resource projects in Canada. Last week, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson had to apologize for comments he made in a CBC interview. When asked about ensuring Coastal First Nations could attend a meeting about the MOU, he replied: “It’s called Zoom.”
The draft agenda for this week’s AFN meeting outlines two panels with cabinet ministers, including Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski and Northern Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand. Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said she had invited MPs from other parties to the event.
Audrey Champoux, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s office, said in a statement that Mr. Carney and the ministers look forward to the discussions, which are an “important step in our commitment to ensuring that leadership by and partnership with First Nations and Indigenous communities will be central to how we build in this country.”
Mr. Carney faced criticism from some chiefs earlier this year on Bill C-5, which created a major projects office to fast-track projects the government deems in the national interest. The office works with an Indigenous advisory council.
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“Canada can create MOUs, project offices, advisory groups, but chiefs are very united when it comes to approval of projects on First Nations lands,” said Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak, noting the government will not be able to get “around rights holders, and First Nations will be there united.”
Chiefs have been clear that consent is required for development on their lands, she added.
Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said she was disappointed that First Nations were “left out” of the MOU between Ottawa and Alberta.
The MOU pledges political support for a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s coast provided that certain conditions are met. If that happens, the government has said it could amend the current oil-tanker ban.
But while Coastal First Nations in B.C. adamantly oppose any lifting of the ban, some First Nations in Alberta support the MOU.
“Chiefs have different views on development,” said Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak. “This is to be celebrated, not feared or used against us as a wedge to divide.”
Beyond the MOU, there will be a discussion about the major projects office, according to the draft agenda. Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said she expects representatives from the office to appear in person, rather than on Zoom.
“If they want to reset that relationship, they had better be here in person,” she said.
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Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said she also expects to discuss the First Nations clean drinking water legislation, which communities are pushing Mr. Carney to reintroduce.
Chiefs will also be updated on the $23-billion federal settlement for discrimination in the First Nations Child and Family Services program.
There are 37 resolutions up for debate. The first, proposed by Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias, calls on the government to criminalize residential school denialism. Both Mr. Monias and Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said they expect it to pass.
Mr. Monias said he would like to see people punished for intentionally spreading false information about the residential school system, similar to legislation that already criminalizes Holocaust denial.