Good afternoon, everyone.

Today was an important day for Canada. For the first time in over two decades, First Nations leaders and First Ministers convened a dedicated meeting to advance solutions on shared priorities and to build a stronger, fairer, more just Canada for everyone – so that everyone shares in the prosperity we create.

I want to thank the personal leadership of National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak for making this happen, for the partnership, for the ambition you’ve exhibited throughout and that I know you’ll continue to exhibit as we move forward from today’s discussions. 

I also want to thank President Clayton, First Nations leaders and knowledge keepers, Alberta Treaty 6, 7, 8, and Blackfoot Confederacy Chiefs, Modern Treaty and Self-Government leaders, Elders, youth, and premiers – many people who have travelled great distances to be here today.

It was a real meeting. It was frank, focused, and productive because we came with different perspectives and experiences, but with the same conviction. The conviction that Canada is strongest when we are united.

Today was about putting that conviction into action. We discussed many things – I’ll group them into three priorities specifically.

First is a focus on economic reconciliation – identifying new opportunities for First Nations to develop and share in the benefits of major infrastructure projects.

In a more dangerous and divided world, Canada is taking control of our future by building big again.

This time, we’re doing it differently. We’re taking lessons from our past, which has a history of injustice, and recognising that it’s not just about what we build, but how we build. So that every Canadian can share in the prosperity.

So we discussed specifics about sharing this prosperity with First Nations. We discussed new ways for First Nations to generate lasting wealth for their peoples – including through potential new revenue tools such as a First Nations Sovereign Wealth Fund – a proposal that came directly from First Nations.

This Fund would give First Nations and their children – and their children’s children – an opportunity to share directly in the wealth the country is creating.

So I will instruct my Minister of Finance to work with the Assembly of First Nations, rights-holders, and First Nations financial institutions to co-develop new revenue-sharing mechanisms, including that potential Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Building on this, our government will amend the First Nations Fiscal Management Act to expand the First Nations Finance Authority’s lending authority to include Indigenous Special Purpose Vehicles involved in economic development and resource projects. This will make it easier for First Nations to secure financing to invest in those projects and therefore to share in the returns.

As we create opportunities for First Nations to participate fully in major projects, we’re also working together to recruit, train, and hire the First Nations workers who will actually build them.

Earlier this year, the Government of Canada launched the $8 billion Team Canada Strong initiative to train 100,000 Red Seal skilled trades workers and get them onto job sites faster. We agreed in the meeting that we will allocate specific financing for thousands of Indigenous workers within that.

And today, we are announcing $260 million over four years to establish the new Partnerships for Indigenous Workforce Readiness Fund. This will provide targeted, Indigenous-led funding to connect Indigenous Peoples with job opportunities created by major projects.

Today, our government is changing the way it builds – and we are doing so in partnership with Indigenous Peoples.

That is why we have established the Indigenous Advisory Council within the Major Projects Office to guide this work.

That is why we have doubled the budget for the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program to $10 billion.

That is also why we have relaxed the eligibility criteria for this program so that more sectors can access it, and so that more Indigenous communities can participate in major projects.

And that is why we have provided $40 million to help First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities participate in project assessments and negotiate agreements that will allow them to acquire stakes.

In just a year and a half, this approach is already paying off:

In British Columbia, thanks to the Ksi Lisims LNG project. In the Northwest Territories, thanks to the Mackenzie Valley Highway project. And in Québec, thanks to Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine project.

We are continuing to build on that momentum today.

At its heart, today’s meeting was about strengthening our relationship – government to government, nation to nation – with First Nations. About how we can move forward together.

Early on, Premier Kinew raised an important part of that conversation, of that progress: the question of reforming or even abolishing the Indian Act to modernise our relationship and build a better path forward.

I share his view. I am committed to a process that moves Canada beyond the Indian Act, and I have asked my ministers to work in partnership with First Nations to chart that path together.

That brings me to the second major focus of today’s meeting: protecting everyone in our communities.

To give some examples, the average number of wildfires affecting First Nations on reserve more than tripled over the past 15 years. And more than 90% of First Nations reserve lands are exposed to flood risk. First Nations people living on reserve are 18 times more likely to be evacuated than those living off reserve.

To address historic under-resourcing and rising threats from climate change, today we are announcing that the Government of Canada is providing more than $2.5 billion in funding over five years, and nearly $450 million in ongoing, predictable funding to bolster emergency preparedness in First Nations communities across the country.

This funding will better equip First Nations to conduct evacuations, provide emergency assistance, and rebuild homes and critical infrastructure following disasters.

It means more firefighting vehicles, personal protective equipment, gear, and training to help communities respond when disaster strikes.

Every Canadian deserves to feel safe in their community and to know that help will be there when they need it.

That is how we build Canada strong.

And third, we are strengthening First Nations policing. 

Community-led policing works. Officers who know their communities, understand local needs, and earn trust are better positioned to prevent crime before it happens.

We can look, for example, to Whitecap Dakota Nation. Today, Whitecap reports a low crime rate despite welcoming more than one million visitors every year. That’s the model.

But strong local policing requires adequate resources – and too many services still lack the officers, equipment, and infrastructure they need to keep people safe.

That’s why, last February, I asked the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, to bring forward solutions to address these disparities.

And today, I am pleased to announce that the federal government will provide more than $630 million over four years, alongside $250 million in ongoing, predictable, and stable annual funding, to renew and expand First Nations and Inuit Policing Program agreements. 

These agreements are based on a robust, needs-based costing assessment to substantially close the gap between First Nations and non-Indigenous police services. 

We are also providing an additional $140 million to fund crime prevention and culturally sensitive community safety initiatives in First Nations communities across the country. 

It is clear that the world has become more dangerous and divided. We cannot control what happens beyond our borders. But here in Canada, we decide our own future.

And we are choosing to build stronger communities, where Canadians can feel safe in their homes and their neighbourhoods, and where they are masters of their own future.

We are building a better and safer future through new resources and practical solutions – a future that offers new economic opportunities for First Nations communities across Canada.

Last December, at the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly, I committed to bringing First Nations leaders and First Ministers together for a dedicated meeting.

Today, we put that into action.

Our success, though, will not be measured in how often we meet. Dialogue is necessary. It is the foundation of a productive relationship. But trust and success are built by what we accomplish together. Nation to nation, government to government.

That is true nation-building.