AFN national chief calls out Ottawa, provinces on water, child welfare and Bill C-5 at Winnipeg gathering

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak opened the Assembly of First Nations’ annual general assembly on Wednesday by delivering a critical address that drew applause from chiefs as she pressed federal and provincial governments on issues of water, child welfare, and the major projects law, also known as Bill C-5. To start, Woodhouse Nepinak focused on the federal government’s failure to reintroduce clean water legislation that died when former prime minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament in January. The national chief believes the law could have passed, but that MPs stalled the legislation at committee. “A low point of the last year,” Woodhouse Nepinak told chiefs, “was watching Parliamentarians play politics with the health of First Nations children by letting the Clean Water Act die last fall. We can’t ever let that happen again.” Woodhouse Nepinak then called out Ontario and Alberta premiers Doug Ford and Danielle Smith, who wrote a letter to the federal environment minister on June 30, asking that the legislation not be reintroduced. Woodhouse Nepinak accused them of “playing politics with water.” “We need to hold him to this promise because the Alberta and Ontario governments are already playing politics with water. Last month they called for the prime minister to stand down on that promise to our people, so shame on them,” she said. The line received a round of applause in the room. She reminded chiefs that Carney had committed to introducing a clean water bill as quickly as possible if he was elected. APTN News reached out to Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull Masty’s office about the Clean Water Act. Her press secretary reaffirmed that the bill will be reintroduced in the fall. “Everyone in Canada should have access to safe and clean drinking water. That’s why our new government has committed to introduce and pass legislation that affirms First Nations have a human right to clean drinking water. To be clear—we intend to introduce this legislation this fall to advance this important commitment,” wrote Livi McElrea. “I know they’re listening,” Woodhouse Nepinak said, urging the Carney government to follow through on promises made during the spring election. The AFN is meeting in Winnipeg throughout the week. One Canadian Economy Act Woodhouse Nepinak also addressed Bill C-5, the federal government’s law, which passed in June with minimal First Nations involvement. The bill is a major point of debate for this week’s assembly, with time set aside in the afternoon for a debate. “Never again should rights holders be shut out of Parliament like what happened for Bill C-5,” the national chief said. “The way the Act was introduced has caused concern for many chiefs… despite the promises made by the new government, chiefs wonder if the Crown–First Nations relationship is moving backwards in this new age of U.S. colonialism.” The law allows the federal cabinet to push ahead with major projects that the government feels are in the national interest. The text of the legislation also allows the government to bypass several national environmental laws. No projects have been officially announced. Woodhouse Nepinak referenced past legal battles that affirmed First Nations’ rights under Sec 35 of the Constitution. “Our rights cannot be implemented or respected without First Nations in substance and in process—and they cannot be respected after the fact,” said Woodhouse Nepinak. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty speaking at the AFN gathering in Winnipeg on Wednesday. Alty was the only member of the federal cabinet to attend the event. Photo: Mark Blackburn/APTN. After the national chief’s speech, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty, the only member of the Carney cabinet to attend the gathering, addressed the crowd. Alty reassured leaders of promises that any development approved under the bill will respect climate priorities and First Nations rights. “My goal is minister of Crown Indigenous relations, and the goal of our government is to build resilient economies in true 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. “This requires deliberate action, accountability, and structures that embed Indigenous leadership at every stage. As the prime minister has emphasized, removing barriers to participation is not optional.” The national chief also said the AFN’s pre-budget submission called for $800 million in new funding over two years to support a First Nations-led review of national interest projects, saying the federal commitment of $40 million was “woefully inadequate.” Child welfare reform will top the agenda on Thursday While Ottawa has reached an $8.5 billion agreement on reforming child welfare with chiefs in Ontario, it has been refusing to meet with leaders in other provinces who are represented by the National Children’s Chiefs Commission (NCCC), the AFN, and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (Caring Society). While talks have been at a standstill for nearly a year, an Aug. 20 ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal declared it is time for “swift action,” and ordered Canada back to the table. That hasn’t happened yet. Tomorrow’s presentation is expected to update chiefs on the recent Tribunal decision and to discuss strategy. Read More:  Time for ‘swift action’ on child welfare reform, CHRT tells Canada  In the meantime, Woodhouse Nepinak told the AFN gathering she would be watching the federal budget, expected this fall, to ensure monies set aside for a settlement are not repurposed and that other programs are not cut to shuffle money into reform. She said Canada needs to come back to the negotiating table with the promised $47.8 billion for child welfare reforms. “Those funds are for First Nations children and families. They are not meant for Canada. You’re listening. They’re not meant to be redistributed as part of any budget-cutting exercise,” she said. The subject of child welfare also came up during a question-and-answer session with Alty. Councillor Khelsilem (Dustin) Rivers of the Squamish Nation in B.C. asked Alty how leaders can trust the government on the file. “The frustration I think is growing by myself and other First Nations, like Canada might not be behaving honorably, that these negotiations have stalled since the First Nations expressed their voice, made a decision in good faith that the agreement, the draft agreement, was not satisfactory at that time and needed further work,” he said. “I appreciate the question. And as you mentioned, it’s always complicated, particularly when elections are called and then there’s new people and people are getting up to speed. I do know Minister Gull-Masty takes this very seriously and will be working to engage with First Nations on this,” replied Alty. The AFN annual gathering wraps up Friday. Continue Reading