Indigenous leaders again left out of first ministers meeting as tensions grow

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak speaks during a new conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is warning the provinces and Ottawa it “may not end well” if they make decisions about major infrastructure projects at the upcoming first ministers meeting without First Nations involvement.

First Nations leaders in Ontario, meanwhile, have a rally planned for Monday at Queen’s Park to protest the provincial government’s controversial Bill 5, legislation meant to speed up development.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says the lack of First Nations representation at the first ministers’ table is “very disrespectful.”

The Assembly of First Nations has long called for its inclusion at first ministers meetings but has only been able to secure secondary meetings with prime ministers ahead of the official meetings.

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice Chief David Pratt says governments should “smarten up” and warns that it’s “not good business to offend and disrespect us so that we have to blockade.”

He says governments should view First Nations as “equal partners around the table,” adding that if First Nations were in decision-making positions and proposed developments in their cities, “MPs would be up in arms.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.

Written by Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press