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Carney, premiers to meet with First Nations leaders in Ottawa for first time in years

  • Alessia Passafiume

  • Canadian Press

  • October 26, 2026

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak speaks at the AFN First Nations -- First Ministers Meeting Day of Ceremony in Ottawa, on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Keito Newman

OTTAWA -- First Nations leaders are meeting today with Prime Minister Mark Carney and some of the country's premiers in what Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak is calling a historic occasion.

The meeting comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney works to speed up major project approvals and development -- efforts some First Nations chiefs say threaten their rights.

Tensions between Ottawa and First Nations spiked soon after Carney was elected in 2025 when his government passed legislation to create a new office tasked with streamlining major project developments and approving projects within one year.

First Nations leaders invited all premiers and Carney to a day of ceremony Sunday ahead of the meeting, but only a handful showed up.

Woodhouse Nepinak says First Nations are partners in Confederation and must be respected as governments seek to ramp up resource development and major projects.

A grassroots collective of First Nations people met on Sunday afternoon at an Ottawa community centre to strategize a protest of the meeting, heavily invoking the 2012 Idle No More protest movement that took over Canadian cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2026.