First Nations chiefs and delegates from across the country are gathering in Winnipeg for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) annual general assembly Wednesday.
The AFN is a national advocacy organization representing over 600 First Nations. At the three-day-long assembly, hundreds of First Nations chiefs and delegates will debate and pass resolutions to set the organization’s direction on issues including health, education, the environment, human rights, and language and culture.
This year’s agenda includes discussions on First Nations policing, child welfare reform, substance use harm reduction strategies, and the repatriation of artifacts.
On Wednesday afternoon, chiefs are scheduled to discuss Bill C-5 and the First Nations infrastructure gap.
Bill C-5’s Building Canada Act gives the federal government the power to fast track major economic development projects that are deemed to be of national interest.
While the federal government says the changes will boost economic growth, many First Nations leaders warn the streamlined process may bypass the Crown’s duty to consult, potentially infringing on Indigenous rights.
“Never again should rights holders be shut out of Parliament like what happened for Bill C-5,” said AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak in her opening address.
“The history of the Crown-First Nations relationships demonstrates that we have to overcome great odds to protect our rights, our laws, our lands, our resources and our waters,” she said.
In her welcoming remarks, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson echoed those sentiments, saying that while there may be different views on Bill C-5 within the assembly, progress can’t come at the cost of rights and responsibilities to the land.
“This assembly gives us the chance to stand together, to speak with one voice,” said Wilson.
“Nothing can move forward without our free, prior and informed consent.”
Minister pledges consultation
On Friday, the federal government announced the creation of a Major Projects Office to serve as a single point of contact in fast tracking the approval processes for projects under Bill C-5. The office will include an Indigenous advisory council, which federal officials said will be launched in the coming weeks.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty talked about the Indigenous advisory council in her address to the assembly, and said there will be $40 million in funding to support Indigenous participation and engagement on major projects.
She said the government’s goal is to build resilient economies in partnership with First Nations.
“Nation building must be grounded in real equity and shared stewardship of resources — not as a lofty ideal but as a fundamental principle,” said Alty.
“When it comes to major nation-building projects that affect section 35 rights holders, they will only move forward after meaningful consultation with the Indigenous peoples impacted. Again, this isn’t optional.”
During Wednesday afternoon’s “Economic Summit,” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who is Anishinaabe from Onigaming First Nation in Ontario, didn’t mince words about concerns surrounding the Building Canada Act.
“We want to send a message to the rest of Canada about this: You can’t do nation building without the First Nations of this land,” said Kinew.
Kinew acknowledged the tariff threats and how the federal government and some provinces are trying to speed up projects in a bid to build up the Canadian economy.
“A lot of them are putting the cart before the horse and trying to get shovels in the ground before they’ve done the work of making sure that Indigenous communities and their representative leadership are on side,” said Kinew.
“I think in the next few years we’ll see that the approach that puts the conversation ahead of time gets things built faster, or at least as quickly as anywhere else in the country.”
Sen. Paul Prosper, who is Mi’kmaw from Paqtnkek First Nation in Nova Scotia, said there is need to ensure that the Indigenous advisory council “is not used as a checkbox to prove consultation with First Nation groups and organizations.”
Woodhouse Nepinak told the assembly the upcoming federal budget, expected in October, is the new government’s first chance to commit to closing the infrastructure gap and address the mistrust created by Bill C-5.
She said AFN highlighted the estimated $350 billion required to bridge the infrastructure gap in First Nations communities by 2030 in its budget submission
“In addition to significant socioeconomic benefits to First Nations, this investment will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and more than offset the impact of [U.S. President Donald] Trump’s illegal tariffs,” said Woodhouse Nepinak.
Assembly was postponed due to wildfires
Originally scheduled for July, the gathering was postponed as wildfires forced thousands of residents in Manitoba to evacuate and hotel space was prioritized for those displaced families.
In his welcoming address, Manitoba Regional Chief Willie Moore acknowledged evacuees who have been affected and displaced by wildfires.
“Wasn’t too long ago, this room [at the RBC Convention Centre] was filled with our people, from our community, filled with cots,” said Moore.
“They asked that as we gather here, we hold those communities in our thoughts and keep their resilience at the heart of our work.”
