AFN chief says no one besides Carney, Kinew talked about abolishing Indian Act

Both Kinew and Carney said the idea to change or abolish the Indian Act was raised and supported by some chiefs in the room. AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said on Tuesday that’s not true.

Woodhouse Nepinak said the chiefs were focused more on the major projects legislation they say threatens their rights, and those conversations “went to the wayside” when Kinew and Carney made their remarks.

The prime minister said after the meeting he was “very open to” the idea but later said the Indian Act could be reformed rather than abolished.

“Not everybody, but other participants raised the desirability. So it’s already starting from the right place in that it’s not the federal government deciding something should be done. It’s responding to a request,” Carney said at the time.

In an emailed statement issued Friday, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty’s office said Kinew was not the only one to raise the possibility of reforming or removing the Indian Act at the meeting.

“As the meeting was held behind closed doors, it would be inappropriate to provide more specificity on the details of the conversation,” Livi McElrea said.

While First Nations chiefs generally agree the law is outdated and restrictive, there is little consensus on whether it should be repealed and what might take its place.

First Nations leaders broadly support changing the rules on how the Indian Act determines who qualifies for status. The federal government has not committed to changing those rules.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2026.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

AFN chief says no one besides Carney, Kinew talked about abolishing Indian Act

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