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10/30/2026

What does Bill C-39 mean for First Nations? Senators question Carney government | The Narwhal
Journalist: Carl Meyer
Date: October 19, 2026

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Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, is a 243-page bill to speed up major projects like mines, ports and pipelines. It would limit federal environmental assessments to one year, centralize many Indigenous consultations in a new hub at the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, and let projects in "regions of national interest" bypass normal approval processes.

At a Senate hearing on October 6, Senator Michèle Audette, from the Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam First Nation, began in Innu-Aimun. She asked if reviews of these regions would include Indigenous Peoples "upstream and downstream." "We don't want to be a third party or a stakeholder," she said. "We are still there. We never surrendered."

Privy Council President Dominic LeBlanc said environmental standards "have not changed, nor have our responsibilities toward Indigenous Rights holders." Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon, the bill's sponsor, said First Nations would be involved "at the very beginning of the process." On October 8, the Chiefs of Ontario, the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador and Nishnawbe Aski Nation called the rush to pass the bill "fundamentally antidemocratic."

On October 29, the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach sent a letter to the Senate Special Committee studying the bill, signed by Deputy Chief Nathan Uniam. The Nation said mining roads near Schefferville were built too fast and without enough planning, polluting lakes and rivers and blocking access to parts of its land. It said any new law must respect the Northeastern Quebec Agreement and the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, and that one year may not be enough for final review. "We are not against development," the Nation wrote, asking that decisions be made in consultation with the Nations whose land is affected.

Read the Naskapi Nation's letter:https://naskapi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20261029-COR-Bill-C-39-NNK-comments-v0_Signed.pdf

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The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/27/2026

Federal bureaucrats grilled over decision to strip status from over 700 Innu in Quebec | CBC News
Journalist: Steve Rukavina
Date: October 22, 2026

• • •

Guillaume St-Gelais Dubé wiped away tears as he told a Senate committee in Ottawa about learning last year that he had lost his Indian status. "It's like your skin is being ripped from your body," he said. "An identity is not a piece of paper."

St-Gelais Dubé is among 738 members of the Innu First Nation of Essipit who lost their status after a decision by the federal Office of the Indian Registrar. Status entitles community members to land for houses and fishing camps, as well as health and other social benefits.

All 738 are descendants of Christine Kichera and Adelaïde Matshiragan, two Innu women who lived in the 1700s and married non-Indigenous men. Under earlier provisions of the Indian Act, they lost their status and could not pass it on to their children. After amendments in 2019 addressed that discrimination, St-Gelais Dubé received his status in 2023.

In 2024, letters told the descendants their status was under review and gave them 120 days to provide historical proof. A final decision on Nov. 5, 2025, revoked their status. The Essipit band council does not intend to evict those affected and has given them three years to regularize their status.

At the hearing, Lori Doran of Indigenous Services Canada and Indian Registrar Claire Thie defended the decision. Doran said the source evidence, a late 18th-century record called the Catalogue général de toute la nation montagnaise, was called into question. "I have an obligation. I have a duty. I have no choice but to make corrective actions when they're brought to my attention," Thie said.

Lawyer Audrey Mayrand said the reserve was created only after the two women died, so their names would not appear on any official list. Mayrand and other lawyers are challenging the decision in Federal Court, and the case is ongoing.

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The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/26/2026

3 Innu communities want pause on LNG project linking Ontario to Quebec | CBC News
Journalist: Mélissa François
Date: October 15, 2026

• • •

Three Innu communities in Quebec say they will be the most affected by a liquefied natural gas pipeline project that would go through their ancestral territories and want it put on hold. The First Nations of Essipit, Mashteuiatsh and Pessamit say they have not been given a chance to weigh in.

The pipeline would connect eastern Ontario to Quebec's Côte-Nord region, with a terminal in Baie-Comeau, and ship up to 15 million tonnes of liquefied gas to Europe annually. The corporation behind the project is Kino Aski LNG, co-owned and led by the Atikamekw Nation under Grand Chief Constant Awashish, with Marinevest Energy Canada as a minority stakeholder.

The three First Nations say they are not working in collaboration with Kino Aski LNG, have not given their consent to the project and have not authorized the corporation to speak on their behalf.

"We are talking about a liquefied natural gas project that will need a gas pipeline of more than a thousand kilometres. That's a lot. It will also necessitate liquefaction plants, new port infrastructures," said Audrey-Lise Rock Hervieux, deputy chief of the Pessamit Innu council. "That would leave an environmental footprint that needs to be assessed."

"We have never given our consent or our agreement," Rock Hervieux added.

In a joint news release, the three First Nations ask for independent studies "on the environmental, social, and economic issues associated with any project on our ancestral territories." The release adds, "Only after this process is complete will our First Nations be able to freely determine whether or not to consent to the projects." They are also urging the federal government not to use Bill C-5 or Bill C-39, which proposes to fast track major infrastructure and energy projects, in this situation.

Kino Aski LNG declined to comment.

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The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/10/2026

Friendship centres that change lives, 50 years after their creation | Radio-Canada
Journalist: Shushan Bacon
Date: October 5, 2026

• • •

For 50 years, the Regroupement des centres d'amitié autochtones du Québec (RCAAQ) has played an essential role for First Nations and Inuit people living in cities. Present in several cities across the province, the centres offer services, but above all a place of welcome, support and cultural safety.

Michel Goupil, an Innu originally from Matimekush-Lac-John, belongs to the second generation living with the effects of residential schools. His mother attended the residential school in Sept-Îles. For many years he was homeless, moving from one community to another without a real anchor. He started drinking at 17 and later turned to hard drugs. "I hit rock bottom once," he said.

Last year, he decided to leave Mani-utenam and move to the city. After calling people he knew in the Quebec City region, mostly Innu, he was directed to the Centre d'amitié autochtone de Québec, where a worker supported him and guided him toward a stay in therapy. "People need to know. The friendship centres are there for us and they help us. We have to use these services," said the 58-year-old.

Today he works 40 hours a week for a private company in Wendake and rents a room he can afford. His greatest joy is that his close and extended family have started talking to him again. "Now I realize that I don't lie anymore. That's it, I feel good."

The first Indigenous friendship centre in Quebec opened in 1969 in Chibougamau so Cree and Atikamekw people could gather in the city. There are now 11. The RCAAQ was created in 1976 at the request of the three centres that existed then, in Chibougamau, Val-d'Or and La Tuque. Its executive director, Tanya Sirois, an Innu from Pessamit, says the centres have always offered spaces where Indigenous people can feel safe. More than 60 per cent of Indigenous people now live in urban areas.

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The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/09/2026

Two Mushuau Innu Nation members dead after accident on water near Nain | NTV
Journalist: Michael Connors
Date: October 5, 2026

• • •

Two members of the Mushuau Innu First Nation lost their lives in an accident on the water near Nain on Sunday, October 4. In a statement shared on Facebook, the Nation offered its thoughts to the families and loved ones, and thanked the emergency responders and support teams who located the members and brought them back to Nain, as well as everyone who has sent condolences and support.

Out of respect for the families, the Band Office in Natuashish closed on Monday, October 5. The Nation has asked the public to avoid speculation and online discussion in order to protect the privacy and feelings of the families and everyone affected.

• • •

The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/09/2026

Annual 350-km canoe trek reconciles First Nations generations a stroke at a time | CBC News
Journalist: Gregory Conway
Date: October 1, 2026

• • •

The Mamu Nikantetau Expedition is an annual 10-day, 350-kilometre journey between Ottawa and Montreal that brings together Elders and youth from several First Nations. This year, about 20 mainly Indigenous participants set out on September 21, paddling down the Ottawa River and passing the Kanien'kehá:ka communities of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke before arriving in Montreal on September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Participants included members of the Mi'kmaq, Wendat, Naskapi and Innu nations.

The expedition is a program of Puamun Meshkenu, founded by Dr. Stanley Vollant, an Innu surgeon. Vollant, whose mother attended a residential school, wants the trek to address the intergenerational trauma left by those schools. "We have to reconnect the elders and the youth," he said. "This is what reconciliation should be."

Near the end of the trip, one rabaska capsized near Vaudreuil-Soulanges. Organizers said some paddlers had mild symptoms of hypothermia after the rescue, and all of them chose to continue after a sharing circle.

Kijâtai Veillette-Cheezo of the Lac Simon Anishnabe Nation, whose father was a residential school survivor, connected on the trip with an Elder who attended the same school. "Being together is really how reconciliation can be," she said.

• • •

The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/06/2026

Indigenous leaders remind Quebec: you can't legally separate without our say | CBC News
Journalist: CBC News
Date: September 30, 2026

As a sovereignty referendum dominates the Quebec campaign, Indigenous leaders are reminding the province that it cannot consider independence without consulting First Nations and Inuit.

Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke Grand Chief Cody Diabo says a referendum is out of the question as things stand, because much of Quebec's territory is First Nations land, with the lines on the map drawn by the Crown and the federal government without First Nations at the table. Kahnawà:ke lawyer Nadir André points to the legal reality: a 1998 Supreme Court ruling barred Quebec from separating unilaterally, and together with existing constitutional law, that means the province cannot legally separate without involving and consulting First Nations and Inuit, and would need a constitution they approve.

Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador Grand Chief Francis Verreault-Paul says it is too early to be for or against a referendum, and that the hard questions remain, starting with whether Quebec will recognize First Nations as governments: "Will they respect the sovereignty of First Nations?"

Story by CBC News. Photo: Radio-Canada.

The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/06/2026

Provisional constitution: Indigenous people will be consulted, but without a veto, PSPP promises | Radio-Canada
Journalist: Radio-Canada
Date: September 30, 2026

On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said that if the PQ forms government, First Nations and Inuit would be consulted on the "provisional constitution" the party wants to write, but would not have a veto over it.

He described it as a short-term bridge, meant to give an independent Quebec legal and constitutional stability during the transition between a winning referendum and a permanent constitution. The duty, he said, is to consult and to build a process that hears each Nation, but "you cannot set unanimity as the operating rule of the National Assembly."

The remarks drew criticism. Québec solidaire's Alexandre Boulerice called it insensitive to make such a declaration on that day, and QS wants First Nations and Inuit at the table of a constituent assembly to write a constitution. AFNQL Grand Chief Francis Verreault-Paul has said First Nations issues were almost absent from the campaign.

Story by Radio-Canada. Photo: Radio-Canada.

The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/05/2026

When the land becomes a place of learning | UdeMnouvelles
Journalist: UdeMnouvelles
Date: August 19, 2026

Philippe Boucher, a lecturer in Indigenous studies, and Mathieu Boivin, the course coordinator, have received the Université de Montréal's Excellence Award for Inclusive Pedagogy for the Collective Internship course (AUT 3002), which moved the heart of the training to the land in Kawawachikamach.

From August 12 to 18, 2025, about twenty students spent a seven-day immersion in the Naskapi community, arriving after 12 hours on the road and 20 hours on the train. It was the first university Indigenous studies course offered in Kawawachikamach.

The project was carried out in close collaboration with Vice-Chief Nathan Uniam and the council of the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach. More than 40 community members took part in the activities and shared their knowledge and culture. Community members, as knowledge holders, were at the centre of the teaching.

About twenty activities were on the program, including an introduction to the Naskapi language, meetings with Elders, a visit to the CLSC Naskapi, making a medicine bag, a fishing trip, building a traditional tent and preparing a meal of caribou and moose. The group slept in a traditional tent and a rustic cabin at the Naskapi cultural site.

Nearly 40 people applied. Among the 23 selected were five Naskapi and Innu students. In return, the group organized a screening of films by Naskapi filmmakers and a university fair for the community, presenting fields from archaeology to circus, social intervention and photography. Students Jobena Robinson-Nattawappio and Ashley Vollant-Fontaine presented their booth at the fair in the Kawawachikamach community centre.

Course evaluations showed 100% satisfaction in every area measured. The experience strengthened ties between the Université de Montréal and Kawawachikamach. AUT 3002 is offered each year in a different Indigenous community, in partnership between UdeM, UQAT and UQAM.

Story by UdeMnouvelles and CIÉRA. Photos: Philippe Boucher; Amélie Philibert, Université de Montréal.

The views in this article are those of its author and publication.
They are not endorsed by Naskapi News.
Naskapi News is not associated with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.

10/05/2026

Nish: A youth series that highlights today's Indigenous youth | Radio-Canada
Journalist: Radio-Canada
Date: September 14, 2026

Nish, a new youth series adapted from Isabelle Picard's novel Nish: Le Nord et le Sud, is set in the Innu community of Matimekush, about 500 km north of Sept-Îles. It tells the story of Léon and Éloïse, twins who live with their parents, who are from the Innu and Wendat Nations.

The title means "two" in Innu-aimun, a reference to the twins and their two cultural heritages. In the series, Léon and Éloïse face the mysterious disappearance of a friend during a snowmobile outing, while their father must go to Quebec City for medical care. The series explores themes including the importance of family among First Nations.

All ten 30-minute episodes have been available on ICI TOU.TV EXTRA since September 22, and the series will air in winter 2027 on ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV.

The cast includes Jean-Luc Shapatu Vollant as Léon, Emma Rankin as Éloïse, Jean-Luc Kanapé as Stanley, Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie as Joce, Étienne Thibeault and Eve Ringuette as parents David and Charlotte, Saulnia Jean-Pierre as Nukum Francine and Maddy Rankin Kistabish as Mélina. The series was written by Menahan O'Bomsawin, Isabelle Picard and Louis-Martin Pepperall, directed by Jean-François Proteau and William Mazzoleni Valin, and produced by Julie O'Bomsawin of Kassiwi Média. It was filmed in Pessamit, Matimekush and Wendake.

Story by Radio-Canada.

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