Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Nov. 17th, 2025

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

It seems that many issues affecting the first nations are being put on the back burner. For example, the word “indigenous” appeared in last year's budget 146 times, while it appears only 52 times in the latest budget. Where is the will to act? It seems to take time for projects to get off the ground for the first nations as well.

Are indigenous people and relations with the first nations really a priority for the Carney administration?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Yes, they're a priority. Our three departments—meaning my department, Minister Chartrand's department and Minister Gull‑Masty's department—aren't the only departments that should focus on indigenous communities. All departments should do so. For example, when it comes to housing, the people at Build Canada Homes must also work with indigenous peoples. Instead of only our three departments receiving funding to do all the work for indigenous communities, all departments need to make this a priority.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

However, we expect to see some action in Parliament.

Thank you, meegwetch.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Sheehan]

Thank you.

Billy, go ahead for five minutes, please.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

I'll go to Minister Alty first.

I want to commend you first on the FMB legislation. I think that's a fantastic initiative by the government. That's great news.

Going back to my colleague's comments on the budget, on the Cowichan decision, the City of Richmond was the only party at the trial arguing that the Crown grants of fee simple necessarily extinguished aboriginal title. The federal and provincial Crowns were each labouring under litigation directives that constrained their ability to argue extinguishment.

Minister, why would you tie the hands of your lawyers and not protect the rights of fee simple property owners in Canada?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Thank you very much.

It is an important case. The extinguishment clause doesn't have the legal grounds that I know the city wants.

I would note that being able to settle outside court is our priority. I looked to the agreement of the Haida, where Haida aboriginal title is for the area of the Haida Gwaii while protecting fee simple private property interests. It has specific clauses in the Haida agreement, clause 4.16 and clause 4.17. There are some really good examples of how aboriginal title and fee simple title can coexist, so we'll continue to work through the courts on the Cowichan case; however, we do see some examples, and we look to continue to work outside of the court as much as we can.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

Thanks, Minister, for that response.

In the 2025-26 main estimates, grants to first nations to settle specific claims negotiated by Canada are estimated to be $4,788,826,129. There's a pretty specific number there of 4.78 billion at least.

How many first nations does that cover, and how many do you anticipate settling within the next year?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

It is challenging to have the exact number, so we continue through a number—

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

You have a pretty specific number here. You'd think you'd have the number of first nations you're negotiating specific claims with.

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

We have over 700, I believe, specific claims that are working through the process.

Deputy, do you have more detail on that one?

[Valerie Gideon]

I would say that the way that the specific claims envelope was structured is that it's a rolling envelope. We have an envelope that gives us flexibility to carry forward funding from year to year, depending on how negotiations go.

We do have methodologies to look at weighted averages and so forth, but every claim does depend on historical research, and we do work with the nation to also understand where they're coming from in terms of their own experts' reports. We need flexibility to be able to come to negotiations on a settlement amount.

There are times when that's not possible, and some folks go to the tribunal in that context. The tribunal has a maximum amount of $150 million that it can allocate on claims. There is variability, and that's why the envelope is structured that way. It's not a program that has a fixed allocation mechanism on the basis of population or something of that nature.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

Do you have a goal of how many claims you're going to settle this year?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

We do. If you give us a second, we can find it. It is in our annual report.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

The Tsuut'ina Nation was outside of the recent water litigation. That was more of a water class action suit. They are also with the Kainai and a few other first nations out of B.C. I believe Westbank might be one of them. They are attempting to get back to the table.

Have you responded to those nations that have exited from the water class action suit, and are you back at the table, negotiating with them?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

I can follow up on the specifics. It is always welcoming when folks want to come back to the table. I can follow up with the team to get an update and get back to you on that.

Oh, I'm sorry. It's Minister Gull-Masty, who will be here next.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

I'm going to jump in for a second here. You talked about the Cowichan decision. Sections 23 and 25 of the B.C. Land Title Act were basically erased by the justice making the decision.

How can we then say that you do stand up for fee simple rights? What's happening in Haida is completely different from what's happening right here in Cowichan.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Sheehan]

You have 20 seconds for an answer.

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

For Cowichan, we are appealing the decision because we want to seek—

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON]

Why did you wait until the last minute to do so?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

We appealed it on September 8, so it was to review the case fully before appealing it. The appeal did go in on September 8.

To answer your question, MP Morin, the target is 35 claims, and last year we exceeded it. We exceeded it with 42 claims completed last year.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Sheehan]

Thank you.

Now we go to the Liberals for five minutes.

Brendan, please go ahead.

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will share this round with Ms. Lavack.

I want to start, Minister Alty, with you.

I was just at the Geoscience opening in the Yukon, and there was definitely a buzz in the room. This was for a number of reasons, not least being the interest in the major projects in the north, particularly since the announcement about the Yukon-B.C. grid connect project being referred to the MPO as part of the northwest critical conservation corridor.

I want to really talk about opportunities for indigenous partnership through the MPO process, whether it's based on existing legislation.... You also mentioned a few times the special purpose vehicles. If we try to get really pragmatic here, using some of the tax measures, special purpose vehicles, other credit programs and other items in the budget will really help to maximize first nations and indigenous participation and the economic opportunities associated not just with the major projects but also, of course, with building infrastructure, with some of the defence investments in the north and with other budget commitments—Arctic infrastructure being another example.

Please answer fairly briefly because I want Ms. Lavack to have adequate time as well.

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Thank you. I appreciate the question.

It was exciting—and not only the intertie projects. I was in Iqaluit last week to announce the Iqaluit hydro project, which is 100% Inuit owned.

There are a number of things in the budget. There's the doubling of the indigenous loan guarantee from $5 billion to $10 billion. There are the amendments for the special purpose vehicles. There's the increase in the Canada Infrastructure Bank, going up to $45 billion.

In my home territory, the projects that they're looking at—Taltson, the Arctic security corridor and the Mackenzie Valley Highway—are all projects that they're working with the Canada Infrastructure Bank on. The critical minerals sovereign fund, I think, is also another opportunity for those of us in critically rich mineral areas. There are a number of different funding pots that indigenous nations and businesses, as well as non-indigenous businesses, can access.

I'm happy to chat further with you and other constituents who would like more information on these projects.

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Thank you.

Please go ahead, Ms. Lavack.

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, St. Boniface—St. Vital, MB]

My question is for Minister Chartrand.

Minister Chartrand, as you know, the transfer of powers agreement was signed by your predecessor, the Honourable Dan Vandal, who also represented the constituency of Saint‑Boniface—Saint‑Vital. This program seeks to give the territorial government greater responsibility for natural resource management and economic development.

Could you explain how the new budget contributes to the implementation of the transfer of powers program, supports local capacity building and ensures that territorial government decisions promote these objectives?