Friday, December 5, 2025

Photo: In her closing remarks, AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak thanked those who contributed to the success of #AFNSCA2025, the dedication of Chiefs and delegates, and emphasized the importance of unity, collaboration, and continued advocacy for First Nations. (Courtesy Assembly of First Nations / Facebook)

The final day of the special chiefs meeting of the Assembly of First Nations was on Thursday. And there was continued push back to the notion of a new pipeline to Canada’s west coast, and the lifting of a tanker ban along that coast.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, three federal cabinet ministers took the stage to address the chiefs.

The cabinet ministers included Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown Indigenous Relations, Mandy Gull Masty of Indigenous Services, and Finance Minister Francois-Phillippe Champagne.

They were there to push the prime minister’s agenda of major nation building projects and they stressed that they needed First Nations as economic partners.

The main issues that continued to dominate discussion is likelihood of a lifting of the oil tanker ban on the west coast to support a new pipeline.

Eldon Yellowhorn is an Indigenous Studies expert at Simon Fraser University. He says Native leaders have good reason to fear a lifting of the tanker ban. 

“Driving by fears of an oil spill the tanker ban. For good reason the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989 is still has its mark on the land and the sea around Alaska. And there’s very real fears here that something similar could happen. It could wipe out entire coastal communities and their livelihoods. So, there’s a real fear about that particular resolution.”

The key minister helping to advance the major projects agenda was not present for the final day.

He had run into trouble last week when he brushed off concerns from coastal First Nations after he failed to meet with them before the signing of the pipeline agreement with Alberta. He did eventually meet with those First Nations, but some have said they weren’t satisfied with what they heard.

Many chiefs say the proposals for developing resources are an attack on First Nations rights. Some however have expressed an openness to pipeline ownership.

Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told the meeting that Indigenous partnership was key to speeding up major projects, boosting economic growth, and strengthening Canada’s position at home and abroad.

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