Indigenous·NewThe head of the Assembly of First Nations says she’s disappointed Indigenous leaders aren’t allowed to fully participate in this week’s first ministers’ meeting on public safety. Instead, Indigenous politicians got just an afternoon to address federal, provincial and territorial ministers before they were excluded, said National Chief Cindy Woodhouse-Nepinak.AFN leader says First Nations must be at the table when decisions about policing are madeBrett Forester · CBC News · Posted: Oct 16, 2025 5:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 29 minutes agoAssembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak speaks at the AFN Annual General Assembly in Winnipeg, Sept. 3. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)The head of the Assembly of First Nations says she’s disappointed Indigenous leaders aren’t allowed to fully participate in this week’s first ministers’ meeting on public safety in the Kananaskis area of Alberta. Instead, Indigenous politicians got just a few hours to discuss their priorities with federal, provincial and territorial ministers before being excluded for the next two days of talks, said National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.“While I’m thankful that we had a few hours today to meet with all the ministers from coast to coast from all the provinces and territories, we’re still not allowed in the room tomorrow,” she told CBC Indigenous Wednesday afternoon.First Nations have been raising alarms about policing issues in their communities, yet it’s unclear if government leaders will address their concerns. Woodhouse Nepinak said every agenda item has the potential to impact Indigenous issues “and that’s the whole disappointment of us not being in the room tomorrow.”Federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said on social media that “productive talks” were underway on how to stop crime, enhance community safety and address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system.In a statement, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada said the ministers dedicated a full day to engage with and listen to the Indigenous invitees, placing their issues “front and centre at this year’s conference.” The statement didn’t answer a question about why they weren’t allowed in the room for the rest of the meeting. Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser is co-hosting the summit alongside his Alberta counterparts. The AFN advocates for more than 600 First Nations chiefs in Canada. Others present on Wednesday included Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national representative organization for Inuit in Canada, and Victoria Pruden, president of the Métis National Council, which represents Métis governments in Alberta and Ontario.Pruden echoed the national chief’s sentiment, describing the afternoon session as “intense” precisely because Indigenous leaders had to cram hundreds of key points into a short period of intense lobbying.“When our populations are so greatly impacted by policy and legislation with respect to all aspects of justice, public safety and policing, it is a missed opportunity to not at least have us there as observers,” she said Thursday.Pruden said there were few concrete commitments made in response to the leaders’ desire to see things like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or the federal Indigenous Justice Strategy implemented.“It can feel tokenistic,” she said, when the ministers have closed-door meetings, invite Indigenous leaders for a few hours, provide only high-level responses and then pose for a photo before sending the Indigenous leaders home.State of emergency and deathsLast week, leaders for 49 First Nations in northern Ontario declared a state of emergency linked to gang infiltration, the flow of illegal drugs and drug-related violence in their communities. In December 2024, the AFN passed an emergency resolution demanding a national inquiry into systemic racism in policing after at least 10 First Nations people died following interactions with police between August and November 2024.This resolution came just a month after the Supreme Court of Canada chastised the federal and Quebec governments for underfunding First Nations policing in the province. Meanwhile, chiefs continue to press for Ottawa to introduce First Nations policing legislation — a promise the Trudeau government never delivered.However, Prime Minister Mark Carney did on Thursday announce his government will introduce a bill to make it more difficult for repeat and violent offenders to get out on bail. The Conservatives are focusing heavily on bail reform as Carney’s approaches his first budget as prime minister.Woodhouse Nepinak expressed concern about the talk of locking people up for longer. She cited the reported overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada’s jails and prisons, describing First Nations individuals as overpoliced while their communities are underserved.“Talking about putting people [behind bars] with longer sentences, that’s going to negatively impact First Nations people because we’re the ones who make up the populations in all these places, unfortunately.””To my knowledge, we haven’t at all been consulted on this,” added Pruden, who said consultation needs to happen — ideally before a bill is introduced, not after the fact.The AFN Quebec-Labrador said its Regional Chief Francis Verreault-Paul was present for the meeting on Wednesday and “emphasized the urgent need” to adopt the previously promised legislation recognizing First Nations police services as essential services.ABOUT THE AUTHORBrett Forester is a reporter with CBC Indigenous in Ottawa. He is a member of the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation in southern Ontario who previously worked as a journalist with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
Indigenous leaders not allowed to fully partake in ministers meeting on public safety, says national chief
