Premier Smith to skip Ottawa's first-ministers meeting with First Nations
A ceremony in Ottawa Saturday precedes Monday's closed-door meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney, premiers and First Nations leaders, the first such gathering since the 2005 Kelowna Accord talks.
Why it matters
Alberta's premier is notably absent from a rare national meeting aimed at addressing Indigenous socioeconomic issues that directly affect First Nations communities in the province.
First Nations leaders, Prime Minister Mark Carney and the country's premiers gathered in Ottawa for a ceremony ahead of a meeting planned for Monday, described as the first of its kind since the Kelowna Accord discussions in 2005 between then-prime minister Paul Martin, premiers and Indigenous leaders on closing socioeconomic gaps.
Monday's closed-door session will see First Nations represented largely by regional chiefs from the Assembly of First Nations. The Privy Council Office has not released a list of which premiers plan to attend, but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon have both confirmed they will not be there.
Saturday's ceremony in Ottawa included knowledge keepers, elders, First Nations leaders and community members. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said starting with ceremony was important to ensure participants entered the meeting grounded in First Nations spirituality and the right frame of mind.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.