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Yukon, Canada ask court to toss First Nation's lawsuit over mining
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-27 21:18:35.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Mining, Resources, Justice]The Attorney General of Canada and the Yukon government filed statements of defence in Yukon Supreme Court asking the court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun. Filed in December 2025 following the Eagle Gold mine cyanide heap leach pile disaster, the lawsuit alleges breaches of treaty obligations, failures to manage placer mining impacts, and inadequate land-use planning. Both federal and territorial governments denied all wrongdoing, claiming they fulfilled consultation duties and adhered to final agreements, while the First Nation is seeking undefined monetary damages, $150 million in aggravated damages from the Yukon, and permanent injunctions halting unsustainable developments and staking activities.
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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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Manitoba judge strikes claims against North West Company in proposed class action over grocery subsidy money
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-24 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Affordability, Justice]A Manitoba Court of King's Bench judgment handed down by former Chief Justice Glenn Joyal struck all claims in a proposed class-action lawsuit against the North West Company regarding the federal Nutrition North Canada program. Plaintiffs Nellie Kusugak, Malaya Qaunirq Chapman, Isabelle Chapadeau, and Chief Darryl Wastesicoot had alleged breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and breaches of the Competition Act and provincial consumer protection laws, claiming the retailer kept millions in subsidy money meant to lower northern grocery prices. The court ruled the claims were certain to fail because third-party consumers have no right to sue under the federal funding agreement between the retailer and the government, and the unjust enrichment and consumer protection arguments lacked legal viability.
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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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Group assisting long-planned review of firearms — including SKS — has yet to meet
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-21 12:38:55.0
Tags: [National, Public Safety, Justice, Indigenous]The federal Firearms Classification Technical Advisory Group, appointed to support a review of firearm classifications including the SKS rifle, has yet to hold its first meeting nearly a year after Ottawa announced the review in December. Public Safety Canada confirmed the advisory panel is expected to convene in the fall, amid renewed political debate following the use of an SKS rifle in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The review, led by Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and supported by Prime Minister Mark Carney, involves consultations with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities regarding the SKS rifle's use in subsistence hunting.
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Top court sets sentencing framework for cases involving Indigenous offenders, victims
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-09 15:39:50.0
Tags: [National, Nova Scotia, Justice, Indigenous]In a 5-4 judgment, the Supreme Court of Canada established a new sentencing framework for cases where an Indigenous offender commits a crime against an Indigenous intimate partner, mandating that judges harmonize principles regarding both the over-imprisonment of Indigenous offenders and the vulnerability of Indigenous women and girls to violence. The ruling was delivered in the case of a Mi'kmaw man sentenced to five years for aggravated assault in Nova Scotia, which the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal reduced to three years. The Supreme Court upheld the three-year sentence, ruling that the original sentencing judge failed to properly account for the offender's severe mental health challenges and the recommendations of a sentencing circle.
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New federal petition calls for permanent health funding for residential school survivors
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-01 21:42:25.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Social Services, Healthcare, Justice]Winnipeg Centre Member of Parliament Leah Gazan submitted a House of Commons petition containing 930 signatures calling on the federal government to make health resource funding permanent for Indian Residential School survivors. The petition specifically targets the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program—established in 2006 under the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement—which provides cultural, emotional, and mental health counseling and is currently scheduled to sunset in March 2028. Additionally, the petition demands permanent federal funding for the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund, which assists Indigenous communities in conducting archival research and locating unmarked graves. The initiative also renews legislative calls to criminalize residential school denialism via a private member's bill initially re-tabled in October 2025.
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Communities share feedback on Yukon’s MMIWG2S+ strategy
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-27 13:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Social Services, Justice, Public Safety]The Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle visited 14 communities across the Yukon and northern British Columbia earlier this year to gather feedback on the territory's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit strategy, which was released in 2020 with an implementation plan following in 2023. The findings will be compiled into a 'What We Heard' report to guide the implementation phase of the broader strategy led by partners including the Yukon's Women and Gender Equity Directorate. Key issues identified include a disconnect between colonial infrastructure and Indigenous oral traditions, resource disparities across northern British Columbia and Yukon communities, and a widespread public misconception regarding reporting a missing person to the RCMP.
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'Father of Nunavut' has one more fight left: to live in the territory he helped create
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-22 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Seniors, Social Services, Indigenous, Justice]Supporters of John Amagoalik, known as the 'Father of Nunavut,' filed two notices of application for judicial review in the Nunavut Court of Justice against the territorial government after it declined a request for $16,000 per month to cover his accessible housing and daily personal support worker care in Iqaluit. Amagoalik, who requires complex medical care following a partial leg amputation, was previously sent by the Department of Health to Embassy West Senior Living in Ottawa, where 73 Nunavut elders are currently housed due to a lack of territorial facilities. Friends and supporters formed the John A. Committee, raising $30,000 to temporarily bring him home, and are now seeking a court order to compel the government to adequately fund his long-term care needs within the territory.
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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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Strengthening supports for survivors of intimate-partner violence
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-03 18:00:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, National, Justice, Social Services, Indigenous, Public Safety]The British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General is receiving more than $3 million in funding for the 2026-27 fiscal year under the federal National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence to advance recommendations from the 2025 Stanton Report. The funding will expand the Safe Supports Project in rural and northern communities, add up to three family court support workers, develop public-awareness strategies, review behaviour-change programs for men and boys, and advance the B.C. First Nations Justice Strategy by funding the Indigenous Justice Centres' Aunties Program. These investments complement B.C.'s broader Safe and Supported Gender-Based Violence Action Plan, which includes over $60 million annually provided by the Province to support approximately 475 victim-service and violence-against-women programs.
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Denmark passes compensation bill for thousands of Inuit in Greenland forced to get IUDs
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-03 14:28:17.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Justice, Healthcare, Social Services]Following a 2025 joint Greenlandic-Danish inquiry revealing that approximately 4,000 Greenlandic women and girls were subjected to forced intrauterine device (IUD) implantations and sterilizations between 1966 and 1991, the Danish government passed a bill awarding eligible victims a one-time compensation of roughly $64,000 CAD. This legislative action has prompted Inuit women and advocates in Canada—where historical and ongoing forced and coerced sterilizations of Indigenous women have been documented into the 2010s, including 22 documented cases in Quebec between 1980 and 2019—to renew calls for a formal federal apology and financial restitution. While the Canadian federal government has not issued an apology or compensation program, it recently amended the Criminal Code in June to criminalize forced and coerced sterilization, alongside facing at least four active class-action lawsuits.
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MLAs begin tour across N.W.T. to discuss new anti-drug law
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-01 12:24:45.0
Tags: [National, Justice, Public Safety, Housing, Indigenous]Members of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly have initiated a territorial tour to conduct public town hall meetings regarding the proposed Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act (SCAN). If enacted, the legislation would empower territorial officials to launch investigations into residential properties suspected of housing illegal drug activity based on confidential public complaints, and apply for tenancy terminations and evictions through rental officers. During the initial consultation in Fort Good Hope, residents voiced broad support for the enforcement mechanism while simultaneously highlighting the absence of concurrent measures to address systemic addiction, youth programming, and broader public safety concerns.
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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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