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Jerome Gessaroli

Making it count: A framework for estimating the economic effects of Indigenous engagement in British Columbia

Resource projects in Canada – including mines, pipelines, and energy infrastructure – often require engagement with affected First Nations before they can proceed. When consultation is mishandled or ignored, the consequences extend well beyond regulatory delays: projects can face costly litigation, years of uncertainty, lost investment, or even cancellation. Billions of dollars of economic activity and thousands of jobs can...

Rachel Aiello

‘No good way’ to build major projects without First Nations partnership, natural resource minister tells AFN

Canada’s minister of energy and natural resources told a room of chiefs on Thursday that in his mind “there is no good way to build major projects without First Nations partnership and leadership.” Amid tension over Prime Minister Mark Carney’s promise to meaningfully consult Indigenous communities, while also angling to expedite approvals for new major energy and infrastructure projects in...

Alessia Passafiume

Ministers to address Assembly of First Nations gathering in Ottawa

A handful of federal ministers are expected to address hundreds of First Nations chiefs as they gather in Ottawa today. They'll be speaking in front of the Assembly of First Nations' annual general meeting about public safety, the economy and natural resources development and social services for communities. The Assembly of First Nations is a national advocacy body that takes...

Alessia Passafiume

Chiefs warn they'll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push

First Nations chiefs say they'll oppose any actions by federal and provincial governments to expedite major projects that would undermine their rights and environmental protections. They passed two resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday confirming that stance and committing the AFN to opposing legislation or policies that dilute their rights or undermine...

Alessia Passafiume

First Nations chiefs gather in Ottawa for second day of AFN general assembly

First Nations leaders attending the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa today are expected to debate the terms of an upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the premiers and territorial leaders. In her opening remarks to the gathering Tuesday, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said a planned meeting this fall between...

Dean Beeby

Ottawa to press for return of looted grave goods

An Indigenous couple’s remains, repatriated to Canada six years ago, have yet to find a final resting place because their “spiritual belongings” are being held by museums in the United Kingdom. Six objects associated with Demasduit and Nonosabasut, among the last of the Beothuks of Newfoundland, are being retained by the National Museums Scotland and by the British Museum. Thanks...

Alessia Passafiume

First Nations to take part in first ministers meeting in October: AFN chief

A planned meeting this fall between first ministers and chiefs from across the country was hard to secure and must not be the only one of its kind, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said Tuesday. In her opening remarks at the AFN's annual general assembly in Ottawa, Woodhouse Nepinak told chiefs the Prime Minister's Office has...

Gina Wilson

Shared Governance, Stronger Outcomes: Developing State Capacity in First Nations-Federal Relations

The federal government’s unpredictable, fragmented approach to funding acts as a constraint on First Nations that are seeking to build long-term governance and community capacity.

Alessia Passafiume

First Nations chiefs to debate major projects, Indian Act changes in Ottawa

Hundreds of First Nations chiefs are gathering in Ottawa today for the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting. They'll be debating 53 separate resolutions during the three-day gathering. They include resolutions on the federal government's major projects agenda, the state of First Nations child welfare, Indian Act status and calls for the Vatican to rescind a series of papal decrees...

Dean Beeby

Indigenous groups call for community awards in Order of Canada

A project to ensure Order of Canada recipients better reflect Canada’s diversity appears to have hit a cultural barrier that could limit Indigenous participation.

Nick Murray

Carney, Inuit leaders meet in Kuujjuaq today for Inuit-to-Crown partnership committee

Prime Minister Mark Carney will be in Nunavik today to meet with Inuit leaders along with half a dozen of his cabinet ministers, including those who handle the energy, public safety and defence files. The Inuit-to-Crown partnership committee brings together federal cabinet ministers and Inuit three times a year, with the prime minister attending one of those meetings. This meeting...

Jim Bronskill

Some Indigenous people wary of Order of Canada's "colonial symbolism": federal study

Indigenous community members have encouraged federal officials to reflect on how the Order of Canada can overcome its "deep colonial symbolism and associations," says an internal government presentation on efforts to modernize the Canadian honours system. The April presentation, prepared for the Order of Canada Advisory Council, says recent feedback indicates that accepting the honour "could bring feelings of discomfort...

Stuart Benson

Diluted clean water bill reveals Liberals’ ‘take it or leave it’ approach to First Nations, say critics

First Nations leaders and parliamentarians say the Liberals’ reintroduced clean water legislation is the latest example of what they describe as a “pick-and-choose” approach to the federal government’s duty to consult—invoking constitutional obligations to delay or dismiss action when it’s convenient, and sidelining them when decisions are already made.

Liam Casey

Several First Nations sign deal with Ottawa, Ontario to own part of a nuclear reactor

Several Ontario First Nations are set to become owners of a new nuclear reactor after striking a commercial partnership with the federal and provincial governments. Ottawa and Ontario are providing loan guarantees of $700 million to the seven Williams Treaties First Nations east of Toronto that will turn into equity for one of the four small modular reactors that are...

Dallas Smith, Isaiah Robinson

Canada's Food Security Strategy Needs a Key Ingredient: Salmon Aquaculture

Myke Agecoutay

Canada cannot be a global technology leader when Indigenous communities are left offline

Sarah Ritchie

Conservative MP says First Nations votes will be critical in Alberta referendum

Conservative MP Billy Morin says he will spend the summer talking to Indigenous leaders about encouraging people to vote in the Alberta referendum. Albertans are set to vote in October on whether they want to stay in Canada or prefer to hold a future binding referendum on separating from the country. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he and his caucus...

Brittany Hobson, Alessia Passafiume

Landmark Indigenous languages office under audit, $10M spent hosting conference

The federal government has ordered a financial audit into transactions and activities at a landmark Indigenous languages office after receiving anonymous complaints. Canadian Heritage didn't elaborate on the allegations against the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages, an arm's-length office set up five years ago after it was recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Alessia Passafiume

AFN chief warns against changes to major projects development rules, calls for debate

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says proposed changes to major project development rules "are not acceptable" and risk trampling on the rights of First Nations. The federal government is proposing giving authority to review interprovincial pipelines and transmission lines, and offshore renewable energy projects, to the Canada Energy Regulator instead of the Impact Assessment Agency of...

Dale Smith

The never-ending effort to expand First Nation status

The federal government has known for decades that the second-generation cut-off is legally problematic. Despite nearly three years of consultations, the minister says more are needed before addressing it

Vigil to be held on Parliament Hill today for missing and murdered Indigenous women

Family and friends of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people are set to gather on Parliament Hill today. Participants plan to hold a press conference and a vigil for Red Dress Day. The event will be led by Bridget Tolley, founder of Families of Sisters in Spirit. Speakers will commemorate lost loved ones and comment on Canada's...

Brian Platt

Alberta Energy Minister Believes New Pipeline Will Have Indigenous Support

The Alberta government believes it will have Indigenous support for its plan to build a new oil pipeline to the Pacific coast when it’s unveiled in June.

Alessia Passafiume, Wolfgang Depner

First Nations say Eby backs down again on B.C. Indigenous law

Two First Nations leadership sources say British Columbia Premier David Eby is backing down again on the suspension of key parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, scrapping plans to table legislation on Monday. One of the sources says the suspension bill -- which was already delayed last wee

Hearing on injunction filed by First Nation to stop Alberta separation to begin today

A First Nation in Alberta will be in court today seeking to shut down a petition urging the province to quit Confederation. The Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation is in Edmonton asking a Court of King's Bench judge to suspend the petition campaign on the grounds First Nations' consent is required first. It is alleging a failure by Alberta, Canada and...

Alessia Passafiume

'Absolute betrayal': First Nations blast Eby in leaked transcript of DRIPA meeting

A leaked transcript of a meeting between Indigenous leaders and British Columbia Premier David Eby, about his plan to suspend the province's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, shows them accusing him of "absolute betrayal" and colonialism. Speaker after speaker in the 17,000-word transcript of Thursday's meeting, obtained by The Canadian Press, criticize Eby's handling of...

Olivia Stefanovich

Carney says apology needed for Indigenous spying program

The prime minister said there should be a public apology for a spying operation targeting hundreds of Indigenous people that had the support of the federal government. "Yes, there should be an apology," Mark Carney said during a press conference in Halifax on Thursday. "It’s a reprehensible practice. Never should’ve happened." Carney was responding to reporting from CBC Indigenous, which...

Alessia Passafiume

Indigenous services minister announces $738M for health, emergency management

Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty announced on Thursday a $738.9-million funding package for First Nations health care, governance and emergency management. She is earmarking $55.6 million to build up community preparedness and emergency management co-ordination. The funds are not directly related to fire management but could help with operations such as wildfire support. Gull-Masty's department is under heavy pressure from...

Alessia Passafiume

Procurement ombud slams Indigenous procurement strategy outcomes in 'shocking' report

Indigenous Services Canada and other departments are failing to uphold their own Indigenous procurement strategy and may be allowing contractors to use shell companies to access contracts reserved for Indigenous businesses, says the federal procurement ombudsman. In a scathing new report released Thursday, Alexander Jeglic says Indigenous Services Canada failed to provide timely answers to procurement officers' questions in some...

Brett Forester

How RCMP spies infiltrated the 1970s Indigenous rights movement

Secret files reveal Mounties penetrated Assembly of First Nations’ predecessor, spied on Indigenous leaders. The Mounties called it the "Native extremism program." Today, it sounds like a spy novel. Intelligence dossiers stuffed with documents. Wiretaps. Paid informants. Covert operatives with code numbers like "A-828." A Red Power dissident photo album. Surreptitious surveillance at homes, offices, airports and bars.

Alex Boutilier

Federal government boosts scrutiny of businesses claiming to be Indigenous-owned

Indigenous Services Canada is promising stricter enforcement against businesses falsely claiming to be Indigenous-owned in order to gain preferential access to billions worth of federal government contracts, according to a document reviewed by Global News. In a letter sent late last month to the House of Commons’ Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee, Mandy Gull-Masty, the minister responsible for the Procurement...

Marco Vigliotti

Union of BC Indian Chiefs says it won’t participate in government consultations on second-generation cutoff

One of Canada’s largest Indigenous groups says it won’t participate in consultations with Ottawa on potential changes to the second-generation cutoff, accusing the government of working to delay ending the controversial law that designates who can be awarded Indian status. In an email sent last week and shared with iPolitics, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs called the justification for...

Neepawa: Manitoba’s Fast Growing “Land of Plenty”

Neepawa, a rural Prairie community of just over 6,000 people west of Winnipeg, has long been shaped by its agricultural roots. It is a place made famous by author Margaret Laurence, whose Manawaka novels drew inspiration from Neepawa and its landmarks, including the stone angel monument in the Riverside Cemetery. But today’s Neepawa is no longer the small, homogeneous town...

Michael Fox

Contracts vs. Credentials: Why IPPs and PAIR Are Not the Same Thing

Marc Fawcett-Atkinson

Juno News scraps plan to run residential school denial film after investigation by CNO

Days after former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney slammed prominent right-wing platform Juno News for hosting a white nationalist, it has now walked back plans to release a feature-length documentary-style film denying the atrocities of Canada's residential school system. The film, entitled DIG, was announced publicly in a Feb. 10 email sent to Juno News subscribers and was going to focus...

Rose LeMay

Reconciliation is not dead, but Indigenous Peoples are still dying in Canada’s hospitals

On Jan. 9 in Saskatoon, Trevor Dubois died after an altercation with security at the Royal University Hospital. Dubois was receiving chemotherapy, and a security guard thought he had an imitation gun and so Dubois was restrained to the point of unconsciousness. He died. The 36-year-old was from Muskoday First Nation. His friends talked about his infectious laugh, and his...

Catherine Morrison

Feds warn First Nations people to carry passport when crossing U.S. border

The federal government has updated its travel advice for the United States, urging First Nations people to carry a passport in addition to a status card when crossing the border. Before this week, the government website said First Nations people could "freely" enter the United States for the purposes of employment, study, retirement, investing or immigration. As of Thursday, the...

Brent Jang

First Nation withdraws support for B.C. energy export project

The Metlakatla First Nation has withdrawn its support for an energy export project under construction on Ridley Island in British Columbia, escalating tensions after the Prince Rupert Port Authority’s decision to block the Indigenous group’s diversification plans.

Alessia Passafiume

First Nations warn members to be cautious when entering U.S. following ICE actions

Several First Nations are warning their members to be wary of crossing the border into the United States in response to immigration enforcement raids and the detention of some U.S. tribal citizens. The Kashechewan First Nation in northern Ontario -- which was forced to evacuate earlier this month when local water and sewage systems failed -- posted on social media...

Alessia Passafiume

First Nations chiefs call out Ottawa over pipeline deal that doesn't mention water

Some First Nations chiefs are demanding answers from Ottawa after the federal government signed a pipeline agreement with Alberta that failed to make any mention of fresh water. The memorandum of understanding -- which opens a door to building a pipeline to transport bitumen from Alberta to the B.C. coast -- does not touch on the high level of water...

Coastal First Nations call on Carney to defend the B.C. tanker ban in pipeline talks

Coastal First Nations president Marilyn Slett says she called on Prime Minister Mark Carney in a meeting Tuesday to maintain and protect the oil tanker moratorium in his government's pipeline talks with Alberta. The meeting between Carney and Coastal First Nations in Prince Rupert, B.C. was held to restart relations with the advocacy group, which works to protect the B.C...

Tom Summer

First Nation expresses opposition to major projects ahead of prime minister's visit to Prince Rupert

Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Prince Rupert today to meet with Coastal First Nations to discuss major projects in northern B.C. A unnamed government official told CBC News Monday the meeting is intended to address projects underway and potential partnerships between the federal government and Indigenous communities in the region.

Emily Haws

Federal government won’t say whether it will criminalize residential school denials

The federal government is not revealing whether it will act on calls to pass a law that would criminalize denying that Indigenous children suffered abuses in Canada’s residential school system. The issue has bubbled in the background of Canadian politics for several years and gained prominence after several First Nations announced they had located potential unmarked graves at former school...

Alessia Passafiume

Minister not promising source water protection in new First Nations clean water bill

With her government under pressure to finally eliminate boil-water advisories in First Nations communities, the federal minister responsible for Indigenous services isn't committing to bringing back a defunct clean water bill in the new year as written -- after two provinces objected to it. That bill, which died when the last federal election was called, was drafted with input from...