I had the honour of joining Minister Rebecca Alty at the Keewatinook Tribal Council headquarters in Winnipeg — Jack Bilne — for an announcement that matters deeply to the communities of Churchill–Keewatinook Aski.
Together, we announced federal funding to support Indigenous consultation centres in partnership with KTC and the Sky Nations — a recognition that meaningful consultation with First Nations is not a checkbox, it is a right. And it requires real, sustained investment in the capacity of Nations to participate in the decisions that affect their lands, their lives, and their futures.
The Keewatinook Tribal Council represents communities across the northern reaches of this riding. For too long, the burden of consultation has fallen on First Nations themselves — communities expected to respond to federal and provincial processes without the staffing, the resources, or the infrastructure to engage on equal terms. This investment begins to change that.
What I heard from KTC leadership and Sky Nations representatives at Jack Bilne was clear: Indigenous communities do not want to be consulted about their own territories from a position of scarcity. They want to come to the table as governments — resourced, prepared, and heard.
That is the standard this office is committed to. And this announcement is one step toward meeting it.
To Grand Chief and the leadership of KTC and the Sky Nations — thank you for your partnership, your persistence, and your vision. My door remains open. 💙