Latest news with #AssemblyofFirstNations
National Observer
4 days ago
- Politics
- National Observer
Ottawa tells chiefs to submit questions before major projects meeting with Carney
Ottawa has asked First Nations chiefs to submit their questions in advance of their meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney next week to discuss his government's controversial major projects bill. Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws. Carney promised to meet with First Nations after chiefs said their rights were not respected by the rush to push the bill through Parliament. The invitation to the July 17 meeting shared with The Canadian Press shows the government is giving chiefs until July 16 to submit questions they want answered, and says they will have the option to vote on which questions will be posed by their peers. The invitation says that process will help highlight "shared priorities and bring the most pressing issues to the forefront." Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said Friday that chiefs are "united" ahead of the meeting and are still alarmed at the way the legislation was fast-tracked through Parliament with little input from First Nations. "First Nations are united in an understanding that we have always supported economic development and prosperity for all, but not at the expense of our rights or responsible environmental stewardship," Woodhouse Nepinak said. The Assembly of First Nations met Thursday to discuss the bill and the upcoming meeting with the federal government. Woodhouse Nepinak said during that meeting that while "some important amendments have been made" to the legislation — including one removing a clause that would have allowed Ottawa to sidestep the Indian Act — not enough was done to quell First Nations' concerns. She pointed to an amendment posed by Sen. Paul Prosper to include language on obtaining the free, prior and informed consent of First Nations in the legislation. The amendment did not pass. Sen. Prosper told the meeting he's "worried about how future governments will use this law" and whether the next economic crisis might give them cover to sidestep laws again. "I'm worried about the process (being) repeated in the future, when the next big emergency happens," he said. Former national chief Ovide Mercredi said at the meeting Thursday he hopes First Nations chiefs attend the July 17 meeting "strong and confident," and that they don't compromise the rights of their people. 'I think Canadians need to suffer a little bit just to understand what we have experienced as a people since the founding of this country. The fear that they have losing their wealth they never shared with us is real for them,' he said. 'They can curtail their spending, whatever they have to do to save money, to maintain their house, their businesses. But they don't need to use the excuse of a president down south as a reason for curtailing any interest that we have as a people.' The major projects bill was introduced largely in response to economic threats from U.S. President Donald Trump and was pitched as a tool to strengthen the Canadian economy against U.S. tariffs by developing major projects more quickly. In a letter to Carney on Thursday, Trump threatened to impose 35 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods on Aug. 1 — setting a new deadline for the trade talks that were supposed to wrap up by July 21. Mercredi said he hopes Carney doesn't call in the army to deal with any potential demonstrations over the bill or major projects. Friday marks the 35th anniversary of the start of the Kanehsatake Resistance, or the Oka Crisis — a 78-day standoff between Quebec police, the RCMP, the Canadian Army and a Mohawk community over a proposed golf course expansion on a burial ground. Mohawk activists blocked roads and occupied the site during a 78-day protest that saw conflicts with police and the army. First Nations chiefs have warned blockades and protests against the major projects legislation are not off the table. Demonstrations against the legislation have so far remained small and localized in capital cities and in some northern Ontario communities. At least one demonstration is scheduled for Ottawa on the day of the meeting, hosted by a youth collective opposed to the legislation.
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Public sector union warns Carney against reducing government staff to cut spending
Article content Anxiety among federal public servants is reportedly already high. DeSousa said 10,000 jobs were cut just last year, and an estimated 2,000 to 7,000 more jobs could be on the chopping block for this year as well. That includes contracts at the Canada Revenue Agency, as well as the departments of employment and immigration that are not being renewed, she said. Article content 'Right now, if you try to call Canada Revenue Agency, less than five per cent of the calls are being picked up. They don't have enough people to do this,' she claimed. Article content While the government has vowed to not touch transfers to individuals and provinces, or social programs such as child care and dental care, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak warned Indigenous services should be exempt from the cuts as well. Article content 'I think health care for Canadians and Indian Affairs should never be cut back,' said Woodhouse Nepinak in an interview. 'And I think because the gaps are so huge, you don't want to further and widen the gap on First Nations people by cutting services and programs very much needed to make this country be a better place.' Article content Article content DeSousa said the government can look at different ways of finding efficiencies in delivering services to Canadians while still redirecting money to the government's core priorities. Article content 'There's a different way that we can do this. It doesn't have to be done like previous administrations, where it starts off with just this lazy approach of austerity and cutting jobs… I don't think it needs to be at the expense of people who rely on those services.' Article content DeSousa suggested reducing the amount departments and agencies spend on outside consultants, which would save millions of dollars each year, but also reverse the return-to-office mandate to free up buildings so they can be repurposed for other initiatives, such as low-income housing, or sold to generate potentially billions of dollars in savings. Article content 'What we're trying to do is to provide practical solutions that the government can, in fact, look at so that it doesn't make the sacrifices on the programs and services, and to get them to understand the actual impact their decision-making is going to have, and how it's going to affect people residing in Canada who depend on them,' she said.
Ottawa Citizen
4 days ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Public sector union warns Carney against reducing government staff to cut spending
Article content Anxiety among federal public servants is reportedly already high. DeSousa said 10,000 jobs were cut just last year, and an estimated 2,000 to 7,000 more jobs could be on the chopping block for this year as well. That includes contracts at the Canada Revenue Agency, as well as the departments of employment and immigration that are not being renewed, she said. Article content 'Right now, if you try to call Canada Revenue Agency, less than five per cent of the calls are being picked up. They don't have enough people to do this,' she claimed. Article content While the government has vowed to not touch transfers to individuals and provinces, or social programs such as child care and dental care, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak warned Indigenous services should be exempt from the cuts as well. Article content 'I think health care for Canadians and Indian Affairs should never be cut back,' said Woodhouse Nepinak in an interview. 'And I think because the gaps are so huge, you don't want to further and widen the gap on First Nations people by cutting services and programs very much needed to make this country be a better place.' Article content Article content DeSousa said the government can look at different ways of finding efficiencies in delivering services to Canadians while still redirecting money to the government's core priorities. Article content 'There's a different way that we can do this. It doesn't have to be done like previous administrations, where it starts off with just this lazy approach of austerity and cutting jobs… I don't think it needs to be at the expense of people who rely on those services.' Article content DeSousa suggested reducing the amount departments and agencies spend on outside consultants, which would save millions of dollars each year, but also reverse the return-to-office mandate to free up buildings so they can be repurposed for other initiatives, such as low-income housing, or sold to generate potentially billions of dollars in savings. Article content 'What we're trying to do is to provide practical solutions that the government can, in fact, look at so that it doesn't make the sacrifices on the programs and services, and to get them to understand the actual impact their decision-making is going to have, and how it's going to affect people residing in Canada who depend on them,' she said.
Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Public sector union warns Carney against reducing government staff to cut spending
Article content Anxiety among federal public servants is reportedly already high. DeSousa said 10,000 jobs were cut just last year, and an estimated 2,000 to 7,000 more jobs could be on the chopping block for this year as well. That includes contracts at the Canada Revenue Agency, as well as the departments of employment and immigration that are not being renewed, she said. Article content 'Right now, if you try to call Canada Revenue Agency, less than five per cent of the calls are being picked up. They don't have enough people to do this,' she claimed. Article content While the government has vowed to not touch transfers to individuals and provinces, or social programs such as child care and dental care, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak warned Indigenous services should be exempt from the cuts as well. Article content 'I think health care for Canadians and Indian Affairs should never be cut back,' said Woodhouse Nepinak in an interview. 'And I think because the gaps are so huge, you don't want to further and widen the gap on First Nations people by cutting services and programs very much needed to make this country be a better place.' Article content Article content DeSousa said the government can look at different ways of finding efficiencies in delivering services to Canadians while still redirecting money to the government's core priorities. Article content 'There's a different way that we can do this. It doesn't have to be done like previous administrations, where it starts off with just this lazy approach of austerity and cutting jobs… I don't think it needs to be at the expense of people who rely on those services.' Article content DeSousa suggested reducing the amount departments and agencies spend on outside consultants, which would save millions of dollars each year, but also reverse the return-to-office mandate to free up buildings so they can be repurposed for other initiatives, such as low-income housing, or sold to generate potentially billions of dollars in savings. Article content 'What we're trying to do is to provide practical solutions that the government can, in fact, look at so that it doesn't make the sacrifices on the programs and services, and to get them to understand the actual impact their decision-making is going to have, and how it's going to affect people residing in Canada who depend on them,' she said.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ottawa requiring questions in advance of major projects consults with chiefs
OTTAWA – Ottawa is telling First Nations chiefs to submit their questions in advance of next week's meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss his government's controversial major projects bill. Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws. Carney promised to meet with First Nations after chiefs said their rights were not respected by the rush to push the bill through Parliament. An invitation to the July 17 meeting shared with The Canadian Press shows the government is asking participants to submit their questions in advance, and that they have the option to vote on questions posed by their peers. The invitation says that process will help highlight 'shared priorities and bring the most pressing issues to the forefront' of the engagement session being used for broad consultations. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says chiefs are united ahead of the meeting and are still alarmed at the way the legislation was pushed through Parliament with little input from First Nations. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2025.
