In a packed convention hall in downtown Winnipeg yesterday, the air buzzed with anticipation as over 600 First Nations chiefs and delegates gathered for the opening of the Assembly of First Nations’ annual summit. The three-day assembly comes at a critical moment for Indigenous communities across Canada, with national attention focused on reconciliation progress, housing concerns, and the implementation of child welfare reform.
“We have a packed agenda ahead of us,” National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak told the gathering during her opening remarks. “But when we speak with one voice, Ottawa listens.”
This year’s summit holds particular significance following recent federal budget commitments of $7.8 billion over ten years for First Nations housing—a figure many chiefs described as insufficient given the scale of the crisis. Grand Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak pointed out that in northern communities alone, the housing shortfall exceeds 18,000 units.
“When families have eight, sometimes ten people living in a single home with black mold and inadequate plumbing, we’re not talking about housing policy—we’re talking about human dignity,” Settee said while navigating through the busy convention floor.
The implementation of Bill C-92, the landmark legislation giving First Nations jurisdiction over child welfare services, dominated much of the morning session. Two years after the Supreme Court upheld the law’s constitutionality, communities report significant hurdles in securing funding for transition.
Chief Cadmus Delorme of Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, whose community was among the first to assert jurisdiction under the Act, shared their experience with neighboring chiefs.
“The road to implementing our own child welfare system wasn’t straight or smooth,” Delorme explained. “But now our children stay connected to their culture, their language, their identity. That healing cannot be measured in dollars.”
Federal Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu is scheduled to address the assembly tomorrow, with chiefs preparing pointed questions about funding delays and bureaucratic roadblocks. According to department figures obtained by Mediawall.news, only 38 of 287 First Nations who have applied for transition funding have received their full allocation.
The summit also confronts the challenge of advancing economic sovereignty amid debates over resource development. Several chiefs from British Columbia’s northwest arrived ready to discuss recent partnerships with natural gas developers, while others came prepared to advocate for greater environmental protections.
“Economic development and stewardship of the land aren’t opposing values,” said Chief Crystal Smith of the Haisla Nation. “But decision-making authority must remain with our communities, not in Ottawa boardrooms.”
Between formal sessions, corridor conversations revealed growing frustration with the pace of implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIP). Parliament passed legislation requiring alignment of Canadian laws with UNDRIP in 2021, but the action plan wasn’t released until June 2023.
“We see more consultation, more discussions, more promises,” noted Grand Chief Cathy Martin from Quebec. “But tangible change in how decisions affecting our territories get made? That’s coming far too slowly.”
Yesterday’s proceedings were temporarily paused for a powerful ceremony honoring residential school survivors. As drummers performed honor songs, elders who survived the schools were wrapped in star blankets, their stories acknowledged as foundational to the assembly’s work.
Regional caucuses will meet throughout today to develop unified positions on key issues before the assembly votes on resolutions tomorrow. Particularly contentious is a proposal for the AFN to formally request Canada to recognize Indigenous governments as constitutionally protected orders of government.
Youth delegate Sarah McLeod from Nisga’a territory observed that this summit feels different from previous gatherings.
“There’s an impatience I haven’t seen before,” she told me during an afternoon break. “Chiefs are comparing notes about direct action—going beyond resolution-passing to implementing jurisdiction whether Canada is ready or not.”
The pressure on the federal government has intensified following the release of census data showing Indigenous populations growing at over four times the national rate. Statistics Canada projects that by 2041, there could be nearly 2.8 million Indigenous people in Canada—creating even greater urgency for adequate housing, education, and healthcare infrastructure.
According to recent polling by Angus Reid, 63% of Canadians support increased federal funding for First Nations infrastructure, but only 41% believe the current government is making meaningful progress on reconciliation commitments.
As evening approached and formal sessions concluded, chiefs gathered in smaller groups, comparing community innovations and strategies. Several leaders from Treaty 3 territory displayed blueprints for energy-efficient housing designed specifically for northern climates.
“Solutions don’t always come from government programs,” Chief Lorraine Cobiness said, pointing to sustainable housing designs. “Sometimes the answers are already within our communities.”
The assembly continues today with working groups focused on language revitalization, healthcare jurisdiction, and education sovereignty—what National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak called “the building blocks of true self-determination.”
As First Nations leaders from across the country continue their deliberations today, one thing became increasingly clear: this summit represents not just an annual gathering, but a pivotal moment in redefining the relationship between First Nations and the Canadian state.
