OTTAWA – The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says the only leaders to discuss abolishing the Indian Act during a landmark meeting last week were Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Kinew, who is Anishinaabe, called for the act to be abolished during the historic gathering of federal, provincial and First Nations leaders in Ottawa.
The prime minister said he was “very open to” the idea but later said it could be reformed rather than abolished.
The Indian Act, which dates from 1876, gives Ottawa sweeping powers over First Nations communities and people, including the authority to decide who qualifies for status and what reserves can and can’t do.
Both Kinew and Carney said the idea to change or abolish the Indian Act was raised and supported by some chiefs in the room, but AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says that’s not true.
Woodhouse Nepinak says the chiefs were focused more on the major projects legislation they say threatens their rights, and those conversations “went to the wayside” after Kinew and Carney made their remarks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2026.
