Good afternoon, everyone.

I am honoured to join you today. Thank you, Cedric, for the kind introduction.

I want to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people.

This land acknowledgment honours First Nations as the first stewards of this land.

It recognises the painful history during which First Nations were displaced from their territories, and it points to the possibility of reconciliation – the opportunity for renewal that comes from acknowledging and confronting our past.

I want to thank all the Elders, the drum, and all leaders gathered here today – and over the next two days.

And to thank National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak, the AFN regional chiefs, and the entire team at the Assembly of First Nations, for bringing us together today and for including me in this gathering.

Thank you to everyone in this room for the discussions, guidance, and work we’re accomplishing together.

Canada’s new government is committed to working directly with you to build stronger nation-to-nation relationships, for it is only by working together that we can build stronger, more prosperous First Nations communities, and a stronger, more resilient Canada.

In a more dangerous and divided world, Canada is choosing to build, from major national projects to local infrastructure, including housing and water. Above all, we are choosing to build brighter futures for all our people across this great land.

This mission of nation building is a positive endeavour. The question is not what we are against, but what we are for. What we want to build together.

Because this approach must be informed by – and can only move forward with – First Nations.

This approach unites us in a shared mission to create opportunities and foster prosperity across Canada.

It’s not just what we build, but how we build.

We will build Canadian. We will build sustainably.

And crucially, we will build in partnership by upholding Indigenous rights and building in ways that give First Nations communities greater security and prosperity.

Canada’s new government will be a stalwart partner. This means:

• respecting self-determination.
• recognising that true partnership begins with a shared understanding.
• ensuring equity and the participation of Indigenous Peoples is a priority in the work of building our country.

First Nations leadership, prosperity, and opportunity must be foundational.

Laying this foundation begins with engagement.

That is why this summer, I held three summits to engage First Nations, Inuit, and Métis leadership about your priorities and to discuss opportunities for equity ownership, community benefits, and resource management of these major projects.

Over 430 First Nations were represented at the first summit, in Gatineau.

During that summit, I heard clearly that our partnership must include respect for self-determination, and an ongoing commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the principle of free, prior, and informed consent.

I also heard your many ideas and ambitions. Together, let’s have the courage and ambition to bring them to life.

That’s how we’ll move forward – together.

This summer, I also heard many good ideas, for projects large and small.

Nation building carries more than one meaning.

Projects that build our national economy, and through Indigenous equity and management, build First Nations.

This is not an aspiration; it is the law.

Specifically, under the Build Canada Act, for a project to be in Canada’s national interest, it must:

• strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience, and security.
• contribute to clean growth and align with our climate change objectives.
• advance the interests of Indigenous Peoples.

In August, we launched the Major Projects Office, to coordinate the development and financing of potential nation-building projects.

The Major Projects Office has held several regional engagements with rights holders to encourage meaningful partnership and involvement of First Nations.

And to ensure that Indigenous participation is embedded throughout this process, we have created the Indigenous Advisory Council.

Let me be absolutely clear, none of this engagement counts as consultation. That process of consultation only starts once projects are referred as possibilities to the Major Projects Office.

Under the legislation, there must be consultation – consistent with free, prior, and informed consent – before a project can be designated to be in Canada’s national interest.

And even once that happens, there must be additional consultations on the conditions of that project for it to proceed. These issues would naturally include requirements for Indigenous ownership, Indigenous economic benefits, and environmental protections.

To illustrate, let me give the example of a strategy that the Major Projects Office is currently evaluating – the Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor.

The corridor is an area in Northwest British Columbia that sits atop vast deposits of critical minerals and has the potential to connect the clean electricity grid of B.C. to the power grids of the Yukon and Alberta, while creating a new conservation area the size of Greece.

The proposed North Coast Transmission Line at the heart of this project has the potential to create $10 billion in new economic activity, while reducing emissions by up to three million tonnes annually.

It would also enable the expansion of the Red Chris Mine – to be built in close, direct collaboration with the Tahltan Nation. That mine will increase Canada’s annual copper production by over 15%, employ about 1,500 workers during operations, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 70%.

The North Coast Transmission Line would also enable Ksi Lisims LNG – owned by the Nisga’a Nation – to become Canada’s second largest and one of the world’s lowest-emission LNG operations.

In the coming months, through consultations with First Nations, and on the advice of the Major Projects Office, we will determine whether to formally designate these projects as being in the national interest, and if so, following further consultations, the relevant conditions for these projects to proceed will be set.

Projects like this one will create thousands of well-paid jobs and deliver lasting security, certainty, and prosperity to First Nations communities.

Being a reliable partner to First Nations goes beyond simply fulfilling the duty to consult. It means building long‑term wealth for First Nations through fair and full participation.

These projects have the potential to provide communities with an autonomous and dependable source of revenue – a source of wealth needed to achieve their priorities.

To empower First Nations to own and lead major projects, Canada’s new government has doubled the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program to $10 billion.

We’ve earmarked $40 million to support participation and build capacity for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. This is direct funding for your communities, so that you can contribute to determining what we will build together.

As we build our nation, we must build strong communities. Over $16 billion has been invested in more than 13,000 projects that support Indigenous community infrastructure. Infrastructure that is central to the strength of communities.

I would like to focus today on two areas: housing and water.

Our new agency, Build Canada Homes, will partner with First Nations and other orders of government to supercharge housing construction using new factory technologies – cutting building times by 50%, reducing costs by 20%, and lowering emissions by 20%.

Build Canada Homes will directly engage with First Nations to build affordable housing, with a focus on Indigenous-led solutions, financial support, and innovative construction methods. It is our vision that Build Canada Homes will incorporate Indigenous housing providers’ knowledge and leadership in housing projects.

I have also asked the Minister of Indigenous Services to work with you over the coming year to find a better way to meet your housing needs, including on reserve.

We must also ensure that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation program under section 95 is guided by the most recent census data, so that it responds effectively to the needs of communities.

We want to build housing where First Nations families live.

To support the around two-thirds of First Nations that live off-reserve, we committed $2.8 billion in Budget 2025 to build off-reserve, urban, rural, and Northern Indigenous housing.

And we confirmed $1.7 billion to build on-reserve housing.

The government will work with the leaders gathered here to develop affordable solutions that address the unmet housing needs of First Nations.

Building the homes we need is one of the core missions of our government. That’s why we are making a generational investment of $13 billion in housing through Build Canada Homes. This is on top of funding allocated since 2016 – $5 billion invested directly in on-reserve housing.

We are also moving forward with the essential work of building infrastructure on reserve – beginning with recognising that clean water is foundational. 

Over the last decade, 85% of drinking water advisories on reserve (149 advisories) have been lifted through investments of over $7 billion since 2016.

Our government is committed to ending the remaining 38 advisories and we have allocated an additional $2.3 billion for that purpose in Budget 2025.

We recognise that we need a more permanent solution through a coordinated approach, supported by the right funding mechanism, and with the provinces and territories at the table.

This is a top priority for our government.

I am pleased to announce that I will host early in the new year a joint federal-provincial-territorial-First Ministers Meeting with First Nations, and you will set the agenda. I am sure coordination on water solutions will be one of the main agenda items.

And I can confirm that, under the leadership of the Minister of Indigenous Services, we intend to introduce water legislation in spring 2026.

We will also complete the crucial work led by the Minister of Indigenous Services to reform child and family services.

This will help ensure more First Nations children grow up safe, secure, and deeply connected to their families, culture, and language.

Our approach to child welfare will be First Nations- and community-led, and it will be supported by significant additional funding.

Building together requires trust.

Trust is never a given – it must be earned through sustained action over time.

Trust grows through partnership.

We must work on an ongoing basis with First Nations leaders – from the very outset, and with full transparency – as we build the major infrastructure that will transform our economy.

Trust is built by openness. I will always be straight about the challenges we face, and the choices we must make together.

While our government has just undertaken a rigorous spending review, we have protected the essential programs of Indigenous Services Canada and the work of Crown-Indigenous Relations.

Core services such as health care, community safety, child and family services, education, and mental wellness will continue to progress.

This builds on the over 400% increase in investments in Indigenous communities over the past decade.

It means recognising that, while outcomes have improved, there has not been as much progress as any of us would want, especially for children, who most deserve it.

So, we will work together to better focus, appropriately scale, and optimise these investments to maximise their impact.

That should mean more First Nations-led solutions, greater funding directly to rights holders, and better measurement of outcomes.

Finally, trust requires listening, even when the truth is difficult to hear.

Canada’s new government is moving forward on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

And we are advancing the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

We are implementing, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

I want to close by one illustration of how central reconciliation is to our government’s mandate.

When we came into office, I had a painting by a First Nations artist installed just outside the Cabinet room in Parliament.

A Brief History of Northwest Coast Design by Luke Parnell depicts a part of our history through eleven wooden panels with images inspired by the designs on bentwood boxes and feast bowls.

The first few of the panels burst with vibrant colours.

Then, with contact, those colours fade, until the middle ones become smothered in white paint… a culture, literally, whitewashed.

The final panels resemble the original glory – with images that, although marked by what has been endured, are renewed and resurgent.

This painting captures both the pain of suppression and the possibility of reconciliation.

This possibility rests on truth.

Truth is the foundation of justice.

Reconciliation is a task that must be lived and practised every day.

This painting is the last image my ministers and I see before we enter the Cabinet room to take some of the most important decisions for this country’s future. And it is the first image we see when we leave, charged with the responsibility of implementation to create a better future.

It is a reminder to us of the progress that has been made and the work that remains to achieve all that we can imagine and build together.

Thank you.