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AFN Chiefs Reject Bid to Tie First Nations Infrastructure to Ottawa’s Major Projects Push

The vote underscores divisions over how to respond to Ottawa’s fast‑track projects law.

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Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, Chief Abram Benedict, and Chief Francis Verreault-Paul listen as delegates speak about resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly in Winnipeg, Wednesday, September 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Overview

  • Delegates at the Winnipeg assembly failed to reach the 60% threshold on a resolution that sought to include First Nations infrastructure ventures in the national projects agenda and to authorize AFN interventions in related lawsuits.
  • Many chiefs maintain Bill C-5 risks bypassing the Crown’s duty to consult and insist national‑interest projects will not proceed without meaningful First Nations participation.
  • Several Alberta chiefs warned in a letter that AFN has no mandate to interpret or represent Treaties, arguing proposed resolutions could erode individual Nations’ jurisdiction.
  • AFN has asked Ottawa for $800 million over two years to fund a First Nations review of designated projects as part of its pre‑budget priorities.
  • The federal government is standing up a Major Projects Office with an Indigenous advisory council, with officials saying the council will be announced next week, while Manitoba is exploring a Crown‑Indigenous corporation model for project frameworks.