Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Grand Chief Polson, for welcoming us. And Elder Commanda, for starting this meeting in a good way.

The combination of the welcome, the prayer, and the land acknowledgment honours First Nations as the first stewards of this land and reminds us of our individual and collective responsibility to confront Canada’s past – the injustices in Canada’s past – and to move forward in a spirit of partnership, mutual respect, and given our roles, a focus on effectiveness and outcomes.

I would like to welcome National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak, President Clayton, First Nations leaders and knowledge keepers, Alberta Treaty 6, 7, and 8, and Blackfoot Confederacy Chiefs, Modern Treaty and Self-Government leaders, Elders, youth, and the premiers joining us today.

Thank you all for being here.

It’s sobering that this is the first time in two decades that First Ministers and First Nations have met together. This is an important opportunity to share perspectives – to listen and to learn – but, above all, to commit to action. Let’s all seize it.

We all bear heavy responsibilities to acknowledge challenges, to recognise where there has been progress, to build on that progress, and to act to improve outcomes for our peoples.

Informed by the insights of this meeting, the Government of Canada will act with new measures and investments both today and in our upcoming federal Budget on November 5, 2026.

Our meeting is taking place at a pivotal and defining moment.

The world has changed, and Canada faces threats to our economy, our security, and our sovereignty. Meeting these challenges takes a strong country. And Canada is strongest when we stand together.

That’s why we’re working together – as First Ministers, the federal government, provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples – to build a stronger, fairer, and more inclusive Canada.

Momentum is building.

In partnership with First Nations, we are working to close gaps in First Nations education, housing, infrastructure, and health care.

The Government of Canada is investing $3.5 billion more a year to ensure First Nations children on reserves have access to education that respects and embraces their culture.

We are building homes for families on reserve and throughout the country – committing more than $4 billion to safe, affordable housing for Indigenous communities, and partnering with First Nations to build new rental homes.

We are improving access to safe drinking water, including with new legislation to progressively realise the internationally recognised human right to safe drinking water.

And we are investing over $4.5 billion – the largest single commitment ever to First Nations’ water – to build, maintain, and operate water and wastewater systems on reserves.

We are taking steps to improve the health and well-being of communities. This includes investing nearly $6 billion to expand access to mental health services, primary care, and culturally relevant health care for First Nations.

Indigenous leadership and expertise are at the heart of Canada’s conservation efforts. That is why, in partnership with Indigenous communities, we are establishing three new marine protected areas in the Arctic and along the West Coast.

We are building a stronger, fairer, and more just Canada.

A Canada where we join forces to give the next generation a better life, richer in opportunity.

All these investments represent a portion of the Canadian government’s actions. The annual expenditure of Indigenous Services Canada has grown at an average of 15% a year since 2018 – the year the department was created – to reach $26 billion last year.

Infrastructure investment totals $33 billion over the past decade.

These are welcome and necessary commitments. What this table and those tables that we empower must do is ensure that we are making these generational investments as effectively as possible. That they directly and fully benefit the people for whom they are intended.

That depends on us working together – the federal government, provinces, territories, and above all, with First Nations leadership – with renewed purpose, focus, and cooperation.

We have an ambitious agenda today.

First, we will discuss the priorities of First Nations through their rights, treaties, and jurisdictions. This will help ensure consultations and our work are more meaningful, focused, and effective.

Second, we will identify new economic opportunities for First Nations to develop, operate, and share in the wealth that Canada’s projects create.

We already have strong examples to build on, including Ksi Lisims in British Columbia with the Nisga’a Nation. President Clayton is here today and will speak on this in a moment.

In the Northwest Territories, Premier Simpson has helped territorial and Indigenous governments in advancing the 800-kilometre-plus Mackenzie Valley Highway. That was talked about for my entire lifetime and now it’s finally moving forward.

In Québec, Nouveau Monde Graphite has signed an agreement with the Atikamekw First Nation of Manawan to create business and employment opportunities.

Now, the question is, how do we learn from these opportunities? How do we share and build on these successes?

Our final, major topic today will be to discuss how all orders of government and First Nations can work together to target funding and deliver real results for the top priorities of communities – from housing and infrastructure to emergency management, policing, health, and well-being.

Colleagues, our task is two-fold.

First, to work together to create opportunities for all our peoples, while building our country to be stronger, more sovereign, and more independent.

Why? So, we can all live our lives as we choose, including fully respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples – something that is uniquely Canadian.

Secondly, to live our values of a fair and inclusive Canada that corrects historic injustice. We must correct injustice, but we must do more than that. We also must truly share opportunity through education, health, essential infrastructure, and community safety.

Thank you all for your presence and commitment to these goals.

It is now my pleasure to hand to the National Chief.