AFN to hold emergency meeting with chiefs on major projects bill

NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa, left, talks with AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse during a demonstration opposing Bill 5 outside the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto on Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

OTTAWA — The Assembly of First Nations will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the implications of proposed federal legislation that would speed up approvals for major projects.

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says she met yesterday with Prime Minister Mark Carney about the bill his government plans to table today, adding that she remains “deeply concerned” about the potential impact on consultations with First Nations.

The meeting with Carney followed a series of comments by federal ministers about the legislation and Ottawa’s duty to consult with Indigenous Peoples that Woodhouse Nepinak called “disheartening.”

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty told The Canadian Press that filling the First Nations infrastructure gap would not qualify as “nation-building” under the legislation, while Justice Minister Sean Fraser said First Nations don’t get a “veto” over infrastructure projects.

Former national chief Phil Fontaine called for the emergency meeting on Monday, saying Canada’s governments are trampling on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Assembly of First Nations will also hold a meeting with its executive committee to discuss strategy and the potential legal implications of the legislation ahead of its annual general assembly in July.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press