Upon taking office, Prime Minister Carney declared Indigenous reconciliation a “generational task.” However, his administration’s approach to the file has heavily reflected his private-sector background, prioritizing corporate joint-ventures over foundational treaty rights. The centerpiece of his Indigenous policy has been the expansion of the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program to $10 billion, aimed at helping communities secure equity ownership in major “nation-building” infrastructure projects.
While the administration touts this “economic partnership” as a path forward, Indigenous leadership sees a different agenda. The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has expressed deep concern that these mega-projects prioritize aggressive economic growth and resource extraction over the protection of Indigenous rights and environmental standards. AFN leadership has explicitly threatened legal action if treaty rights are infringed upon by the newly established Major Federal Projects Office. Furthermore, critics (including the NDP) have pointed out that Carney eliminated the dedicated Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations from his cabinet, signaling a demotion of the file.