Overview
- Ceremonies with elders and knowledge keepers were held in Ottawa on Sunday as leaders prepared for the one-day First Nations–First Ministers meeting on Monday.
- The meeting will be largely closed to the public with no livestream, short speaking slots for AFN regions and an observation room for chiefs, which many leaders say will limit transparency.
- Not all premiers are attending, with Quebec’s Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon and Alberta’s Danielle Smith confirmed absent and B.C.’s outgoing premier also not expected to be there.
- Ottawa says it will announce new community supports during the meeting while the AFN seeks firm commitments and views the federal budget on Nov. 5 as the next concrete test of funding promises.
- Grassroots activists and some nations are holding counter‑forums and protests and argue the AFN does not speak for rights-holding nations as tensions over fast‑track project laws (Bills C‑5 and C‑39) raise concerns about compressed consultation timelines and Indigenous rights.