Indigenous leaders welcome new PM, remind government of work still to be done

Stephanie Cram · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 6:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

A caller premier curate and a overmuch leaner furniture were sworn into bureau Friday, but the ministers who work with Indigenous communities stay the same. 

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu stay successful their positions. Anandasangaree is present besides justness curate and lawyer general.

Indigenous groups from crossed the state congratulated Prime Minister Mark Carney, but are stressing the request to enactment unneurotic to code backing and services gaps, and to code the menace of the Trump administration.

"Our archetypal precedence is moving with Prime Minister Carney to guarantee that First Nations are included successful Team Canada and successful the conflict against this caller epoch of United States colonialism," said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.

In a statement, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami said the authorities indispensable enactment with Inuit to support the North. 

"We cognize that a beardown and unafraid Canada is 1 wherever Inuit thrive and wherever argumentation is driven by the pursuit of equity," the connection read. 

"Inuit look guardant to moving with Prime Minister Carney and his squad to beforehand shared Inuit-Crown priorities and face each the challenges earlier us." 

While congratulations for the caller premier curate rolled in, the communities of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) said they were hoping to spot a alteration astatine Indigenous Services Canada.

"Unfortunately the erstwhile authorities near a bequest of neglect, abandonment, of a mandate that was fixed to them, done the ineligible processes of Canada," said MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee astatine a quality league successful Winnipeg connected Friday.

"We astatine MKO person asked for [Hajdu's] removal due to the fact that we had nary assurance successful her leadership. She has near a breached and damaged Jordan's Principle … She has done a batch of harm to our children, and we are present to beryllium their voices." 

With an predetermination expected soon, Indigenous leaders are looking to the adjacent authorities to proceed the enactment started by the erstwhile government. 

"The AFN is acceptable to enactment with Prime Minister Carney's authorities to implicit this indispensable work," said Woodhouse Nepinak. 

That work, she said, includes implementing the calls from some the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and to instrumentality the United Nations Declaration connected the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

"We besides impulse Prime Minister Carney to afloat perpetrate to semipermanent backing for cleanable drinking h2o and to reaffirm his committedness to closing the infrastructure gap," said Woodhouse Nepinak. 

There are 33 long-term drinking h2o advisories inactive successful place, which is an contented Woodhouse Nepinak said she'll bring up erstwhile she meets with the premier curate for the archetypal clip adjacent week. 

MKO said it wants to spot changes to how Jordan's Principle is run, saying that the erstwhile authorities didn't fulfil its commitments. 

"For excessively long, egregious mismanagement astatine the national and determination levels person near thousands of First Nations children without the services and resources they need," said Settee successful a news release. 

"As we participate this caller chapter, MKO looks guardant to moving with the authorities successful the tone and intent of pact and reconciliation." 

The Métis Nation Council wants to spot the government remain committed to moving with the federation to amended health-care access, enactment Métis communities successful exigency preparedness, and to tackle the lodging crisis.

President Victoria Pruden said she besides wants to spot the authorities proceed its commitment to the Metis Nation's work connected self-determination. 

"With an predetermination connected the horizon, we look guardant to keeping Métis Nation priorities and reconciliation astatine the forefront, further advancing our nation-to-nation narration with the Government of Canada," said Pruden.