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.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press