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

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.