Canada’s new federal cabinet under Prime Minister Mark Carney is making history with the appointment of three Indigenous ministers, and taking a big step forward for reconciliation and Indigenous governance.
Carney’s cabinet includes Rebecca Chartrand, who is new to federal politics as minister of northern and Arctic affairs. Mandy Gull-Masty, former Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees, is now minister of Indigenous services. Buckley Belanger, a Métis politician, is secretary of state for rural development.
“This is unprecedented,” said David Newhouse, professor of Indigenous studies at Trent University. “Not just in numbers but in expertise. These are people with deep knowledge of the communities they serve.”
The cabinet has 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state, more than half of whom are new to their roles.
Gull-Masty is the first Indigenous person to lead the department responsible for services to First Nations, Inuit and Métis. She represents one of Canada’s largest and most diverse ridings. She replaces Patty Hajdu, who moved to another role in the cabinet.
Chartrand won the Churchill–Keewatinook Aski seat, a riding with the highest percentage of First Nations people in Canada, unseating long-time NDP MP Niki Ashton, who had represented the riding since 2008.
Critics pointed out the geographic and demographic significance of the appointments: all three ministers are from the northern regions of Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“This is unheard of … it signals that the provincial North is going to be a central piece of the government’s policy for the next few years,” said Ken Coates, Distinguished Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and professor of Indigenous governance at Yukon University.
“The government knows if they’re going to have the kind of resource economy and future they envision, they have to get Indigenous people on board,” Coates said.
Coates said Carney’s speech was full of Conservative talking points — like promising a tax cut, building more homes — which is proof that the prime minister is listening and understands the broader electorate. This includes the significant number of Canadians, including Indigenous people, who voted for the Conservatives.
Gary Anandasangaree, former minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, has been replaced by Rebecca Alty, former mayor of Yellowknife. Alty is not Indigenous but is from the North and has extensive experience in northern municipalities. Anandasangaree will remain in cabinet, which critics say is positive news, as he is well-liked among Indigenous people.
The new cabinet is promising and represents a shift away from the Trudeau government, but it has many rookie ministers who face a steep learning curve, said Niigaan Sinclair, Anishinaabe scholar, media commentator, and professor at the University of Manitoba. He warned against losing momentum on Indigenous issues gained under the previous administration.
“Trudeau was the most progressive prime minister in Canadian history for Indigenous people,” said Sinclair. “You don’t want to give up on that legacy — not on this issue.”
However, there are still concerns Indigenous rights will be overlooked due to geopolitical tensions with the US and the government’s focus on economic stability, which might include fast-tracking resource projects without proper consultation with Indigenous communities.
“A well-informed cabinet would be better placed to discuss the issues that affect both the Canadian state and Indigenous people around the cabinet table,” said Joyce Green, professor emerita of political science at the University of Regina and member of the Ktunaxa Nation.
Green said Canada ratified the UNDRIP in 2021, but Indigenous communities are still facing challenges around decision-making and their right to free, prior and informed consent.
She is closely monitoring whether the new government will make meaningful changes in their efforts, especially when it comes to large-scale resource development projects that have long been a point of contention.
Meanwhile, critics warn appointing ministers like Alty and Gull-Masty, who come from regions where modern treaties are common, could mean the Carney government will continue the Trudeau government’s approach of pushing Indigenous communities to sign self-government agreements and modern treaties — instead of honouring historic agreements with deep spiritual and cultural significance to some.
Russell Diabo, independent First Nations policy analyst from Kahnawà:ke who previously served as a special adviser to the national chief of Assembly of First Nations, said he is concerned that First Nations could be treated more like local municipalities under Canadian law.
The coming months will be critical in determining whether the new cabinet will move beyond “lip service” in its efforts to further reconciliation, said Green.
Critics will closely watch the mandate letters and key cabinet committees for signs of Carney’s approach to Indigenous rights and governance.
“The formula of any reconciliatory relationship is that the one who has done the injury must make amends in order to facilitate the conditions for a reconciled relationship,” said Green. “You can’t command that — you can only create the conditions.”
Sonal Gupta / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer
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