When Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed a special assembly of chiefs in Ottawa last fall, he promised to host a summit bringing together First Nations, federal, provincial and territorial governments. 

He said First Nations would be the ones setting the agenda. 

The summit is now tentatively scheduled for mid-October, according to information shared at the Chiefs of Ontario assembly this week.

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Wilfred King, chief of Gull Bay, a community of 400 near Thunder Bay also known as Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, told the assembly he has concerns about the upcoming meeting. 

“It’s the prime minister that calls [the meeting] and often he sets the agenda,” he said. “I do think one of the key questions they want to talk about is major projects and economic development.” 

“I’m concerned that this process is not for us.” 

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak acknowledged “there’s absolutely a push to talk about major projects” in her conversations with the prime minister, but said other priorities,  including education, are also on the table.

“We talked, and we did make it clear that chiefs and the assembly will drive this agenda, and I’m going to make sure of that,” she told the Ontario chiefs.

Nepinak said the priority was to ensure this meeting isn’t a “one and done” and that it will provide a roadmap to address broader issues. 

“It’s going to be a tough meeting,” she said.

Carney held three summits with First Nations leaders over the summer of 2025, largely focused on his major projects agenda. The reception to some of these meetings was mixed, drawing more skepticism than optimism from some.

The summits followed passage of the Building Canada Act, which some First Nations are challenging in court over concerns it could allow the federal government to bypass Indigenous rights in fast-tracking major projects.

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