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UCP to vote on bathroom laws, land acknowledgements, but not separatism
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-27 18:10:54.0
Tags: [Alberta, Governance, Energy, Indigenous, Justice]Members of Alberta's governing United Conservative Party will debate and vote on 22 policy resolutions at their annual general meeting in Calgary from November 27 to 29, 2026. The proposed resolutions include measures regarding public washroom policies and updates to the Alberta Human Rights Act, the discontinuation of First Nations land acknowledgements and blocking of indigenous land claims, mandatory byelections for floor-crossing MLAs, and opposition to federal net zero and carbon capture mandates. While the party's governing caucus is not bound by the member-approved resolutions, past meetings have resulted in implemented policy and legislative changes under Premier Danielle Smith's administration.
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'It's time to abolish the Indian Act,' Manitoba premier tells PM in historic meeting with chiefs
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-26 19:39:49.0
Tags: [National, Manitoba, Indigenous, Governance, Justice]During a historic first ministers' meeting in Ottawa alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney and Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called for the federal government to abolish the 150-year-old Indian Act. Kinew argued that the race-based legislation and status card system are incompatible with modern Canadian human rights and self-determination, stating that the act must be dismantled in cooperation with First Nations people and governments. The closed-door summit marked the first gathering of its kind between First Nations leaders and first ministers since the 2005 Kelowna Accord talks.
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Yukon government asks court to toss Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in lawsuit over mining regulation changes
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-23 18:41:15.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Mining, Resources, Justice, Governance]The Yukon government filed a statement of defence in the Yukon Supreme Court asking to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation regarding temporary amendments made in May 2025 to placer-mining, quartz-mining, and water-use regulations. The amendments, set to remain in effect until December 31, 2028, allow the territorial government to extend soon-to-expire permits and licences for eligible operators to mitigate a major permitting backlog. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in's January lawsuit alleges that the territory failed to consult the First Nation in violation of its final agreement and seeks financial compensation, whereas the government argues it had no duty to consult during the legislative process and that the First Nation delayed legal action.
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Ontario Moving to Permanent Daylight Saving Time in Parts of Northwestern Ontario
Source: Ontario - Ministry of the Attorney General
Date: 2026-10-13 18:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Manitoba, Justice, Governance, Economy, Indigenous]The Government of Ontario intends to implement a regulatory change under the Time Act by November 1, 2026, making daylight saving time permanent in Kenora and northwestern Ontario communities located west of the 90th meridian. This policy decision follows Manitoba's September 17, 2026 announcement to adopt permanent daylight saving time and aims to maintain regional alignment for businesses, families, and Indigenous communities in Ontario's central time zone. Attorney General Doug Downey and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Greg Rickford confirmed that extensive regional engagement revealed unanimous support for the synchronized time change to avoid economic and scheduling disruptions.
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‘Silence could be consent’: Alberta First Nations push to get out vote for referendum
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-04 12:33:40.0
Tags: [Alberta, Indigenous, Governance, Justice]Alberta First Nations, including the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and Treaty 8 Sovereign First Nations, are mobilizing get-out-the-vote campaigns for the province's October 19, 2026 referendum on provincial separation and constitutional matters. The mobilization follows a successful legal challenge by First Nations in May 2026 where a judge quashed a citizen-initiated petition for a separation vote due to a failure in the constitutional duty to consult, which the United Conservative Party government under Premier Danielle Smith subsequently appealed while pushing forward with the referendum anyway. Turnout for the referendum is projected by Elections Alberta to reach 85 per cent, surpassing previous provincial records, with over 652,000 mail-in ballots already dispatched.
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Saddle Lake Cree Nation asserts treaty rights over access to gender-affirming care
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-09 21:56:42.0
Tags: [Alberta, Indigenous, Healthcare, Justice, Governance]Saddle Lake Cree Nation is asserting its sovereign treaty rights under the "medicine chest" clause of Treaty 6 to create protections for gender-affirming care on reserve lands and territories. The initiative directly challenges Alberta provincial legislation, specifically Bills 26, 27, and 29, which implemented restrictions on transgender youth regarding medical treatments, name and pronoun changes, and sports participation. Backed by Two-Spirit family physician Dr. James Makokis, the Nation plans to bring in Canadian-trained clinicians to provide uninterrupted medical services on reserve lands outside provincial jurisdiction.
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Ottawa ends NunatuKavut bid for Indigenous rights recognition, NCC says
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-09 12:58:41.0
Tags: [National, Newfoundland and Labrador, Indigenous, Governance, Justice]Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty announced that the federal government is terminating the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding and the Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination process with the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC). The federal Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) stated that evidence and documentation submitted by NCC to support claims under Section 35 of the Constitution Act did not satisfy court-established legal tests for Indigenous rights and title. The termination of the MOU takes effect on October 4, though CIRNAC noted the decision does not preclude NCC from applying for federal programs that do not require Section 35 recognition. The decision was welcomed by the Innu Nation and the Nunatsiavut Government, while NCC criticized the move and stated it will pursue all avenues, including potential legal action.
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Vuntut Gwitchin citizen files petition with Yukon court to pause election for chief and council
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-05 00:35:00.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Governance, Justice]Erin Linklater, a citizen and former executive director of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, has filed a petition with the Yukon Supreme Court to pause the upcoming September 15 chief and council election. The petition challenges the validity of a new election law and governance act amendments passed earlier in the year, arguing they violate the First Nation's constitution and were enacted without proper accountability measures such as a preceding general assembly. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation has dismissed the legal action as a distraction and issued a cease-and-desist letter regarding Linklater's public statements, while a closed-door court hearing is scheduled for the same day as the vote.
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Indigenous lawyer Leighton Grey garners separatist rally applause in Edmonton Saturday
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-08-30 21:34:58.0
Tags: [Alberta, Governance, Indigenous, Justice]Indigenous lawyer Leighton Grey spoke at a separatist rally outside the Alberta legislature ahead of an upcoming October 19 provincial referendum on separation, touching on debates surrounding the federal Clarity Act, the Indian Act of 1876, and legal challenges from Treaty 6, 7, and 8 First Nations. The Assembly of Treaty Chiefs previously requested the RCMP investigate Premier Danielle Smith's actions regarding separatism under Section 46 of the Canadian Criminal Code for alleged treason. Meanwhile, the provincial government amended the Citizen Initiative Act via Bill 14 to enable the binding referendum process.
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Chief in Łutselk'e, N.W.T., says community should consider banishing bootleggers
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-08-29 13:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Justice, Public Safety, Governance]Chief James Marlowe of the Łutsel K'e Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories is proposing a community banishment law to counter a rise in illegal bootlegging and alcohol-related harms affecting the dry community. The proposed law, which requires approval by First Nation members at a scheduled meeting on September 29, aims to remove non-compliant members or outside bootleggers for one to two years. Legal experts note that while trespass laws can apply to non-members, banishing First Nation members requires strict adherence to internal rules and the Indian Act or modern treaties to withstand court challenges.
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