This is a major week for our nation. From Canada’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples to its economic relationship with the United States, there is a lot of news to digest and better understand. Let’s get into it!
Moving beyond the Indian Act?
At a meeting in Ottawa with First Nations leaders and premiers, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called on the federal government to abolish the Indian Act. Prime Minister Mark Carney responded that he is open to the idea and has asked ministers to work with First Nations on a process that could reform, modernize, or ultimately abolish the legislation.
Kinew said: “It’s time to abolish the Indian Act. It’s long overdue that we have a relationship with Indigenous Peoples in Canada that reflects who we are as Canadians today.”
Carney said: “The suggestion of reforming, potentially abolishing, and fully modernizing governance, is that a process, co-developed, needs to be put in place, and the federal government is open to that process.”
What is the Indian Act?
The Indian Act is a federal law first passed in 1876. It gave the federal government sweeping control over many parts of First Nations life, including status, bands, reserves, elections, lands, and money. It was built around the racist assumption that First Nations should be managed and assimilated by the state rather than govern themselves.
Why is it controversial?
For so many reasons! First Nations leaders and scholars see it as a colonial law that restricts self-government and treats First Nations differently from other Canadians. Kinew held up his status card and described it as a “race-based form of identification,” arguing that the Act does not reflect modern Indigenous nationhood.
Why has it not been abolished?
Abolishing it is difficult because the Indian Act, despite its harms, also contains legal protections connected to reserves, status, band governance, and certain federal responsibilities. First Nations have warned that simply deleting the Act without a First Nations-designed replacement could put treaty rights, land rights, and constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights at risk. Kinew emphasized that any change must be made “with First Nations people and First Nations governments.”
Why this could matter
The significance is probably obvious. Carney is not announcing that Ottawa will simply abolish the Act on its own; he is proposing a co-developed process with First Nations. If it actually leads to real self-government and replaces colonial controls with First Nations-led institutions, it could be the most significant change in Canada’s Indigenous–Crown relationship, advancing reconciliation and healing social wounds, as well as potentially creating economic certainty for both the Crown and Indigenous nations.
Learn more!
- We highly recommend 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, by Bob Joseph. This is a book every Canadian must read.
- Watch Social Studies Chapter Three to better understand the full context of Canada’s constitutional story and Indigenous rights, governance, and the state of reconciliation in our country today.
A possible Canada–USA trade deal?
Canada and the United States appear to be moving closer to a deal that could reduce US tariffs on at least some sectors, like Canadian steel and automobiles.
Prime Minister Carney said talks have intensified, but argued that any progress is because Washington is moving toward Canada’s position: “To the extent any progress has been made, it’s because the U.S. is coming closer to our position.”
Why Trump may want a deal now
The US midterm elections that will help decide who controls the House of Representatives and the Senate are scheduled for November 3. President Trump and Republicans face political pressure over the economy, and a visible agreement that lowers tariffs could be presented as proof that his trade strategy is working. Reports say the White House has shown more interest in a deal because of Trump’s political vulnerability before the vote.
Why Canada might want a deal
Canadian steel, auto, aluminum, forestry, and manufacturing businesses have been hurt by US tariffs, costing thousands their jobs and slowing the economy as a whole. A deal could protect jobs, reduce costs, and restore more predictable access to Canada’s largest export market.
The risks for Carney and Canada
The main risk is signing a weak or unstable agreement just to get a pre-midterm announcement. Carney has already said he cannot be sure Trump would honour a signed agreement, and Canada rejected an earlier US offer in August because it crossed Canada’s so-called red lines. A deal that leaves major tariffs in place, demands damaging concessions, or can be reversed quickly could hurt Canadian workers over the long term, while risking a public backlash from a country who, polls tell us, want Carney to stand-up to American aggression.
Learn more!
Our Canada at a Crossroads series breaks down this entire issue and why it matters to you, today and tomorrow.
Associate Membership in the EU?
Canada is hosting the Canada–European Union Summit in Montreal on October 29-30. Prime Minister Carney will meet European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to advance a deeper Canada-EU partnership.
Expected topics include trade, defence and security, energy, critical minerals, technology, artificial intelligence, and possible student and worker mobility. And a draft joint statement suggests Canada and the EU could even launch formal negotiations toward an associate membership for our country in the EU.
This matters because Canada is trying to reduce its economic dependence on the United States by strengthening ties with Europe – even if Canada reaches a trade deal with the Trump White House.
Political change or continuity at the local level?
Municipal elections in British Columbia and Ontario showed two different political moods.
In BC, voters in many large municipalities chose change: Vancouver elected Pete Fry, its first Green Party mayor, defeating incumbent Ken Sim, while many other incumbent mayors also lost.
In Ontario, the largest cities mostly chose continuity. Toronto re-elected Mayor Olivia Chow, and Ottawa re-elected Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, suggesting voters in those cities preferred stability over a major change in direction.
These different results could shape the national conversation by showing that concerns about affordability, housing, public safety, and local leadership are being expressed differently across regions – and that municipal governments may have very different mandates when they deal with higher levels of government. This is something to watch.
Learn More!
Social Studies Chapter Four discusses the challenge of decision making when divergent stakeholders must work together across multiple levels of government to tackle complex problems.
COP17: Protecting biodiversity
The United Nations biodiversity conference, COP17, is taking place in Yerevan, Armenia, from October 19 to 30. Governments are negotiating how to speed up implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the global plan adopted in Montreal in 2022 to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.
At this year’s conference, the key issues include biodiversity funding, subsidies that drive nature loss, Indigenous leadership in conservation, and the first global review of progress toward the framework’s target of conserving at least 30% of the world’s land and water by 2030.
For Canada, a signatory to the global framework, the conference could increase pressure to protect more land and freshwater, ensure that protected areas are ecologically effective, respect Indigenous rights and Indigenous-led conservation, and provide stable funding for nature protection. Given the multi-faceted challenges facing the country – including strains on national unity at the intersection of people and nature – COP17 could put Canada in a tight spot. Stay tuned.
Learn more!
Watch our primer on COP17 to better understand the stakes, or watch this story on why biodiversity matters to Canada and the decisions that we face as a nation.