By Carly McHugh Writer The final morning of the Assembly of First Nations’ (AFN’s) Special Chiefs Assembly began with an impassioned ministers’ panel that encompassed both reconciliation and the incoming, much-debated Budget 2025. Throughout the session, Chiefs and community representatives had the opportunity to engage Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Rebecca Alty; Minister of Indigenous Services, Mandy Gull-Masty; and Minister of Finance, Francois-Philippe Champagne, on a variety of issues pertaining to both their respective regions and Canada’s First Nations as a whole. The panel first heard from Cold Lake First Nation Chief Kelsey Jacko, who inquired about outstanding agriculture benefits, reducing and limiting public access to First Nations funding, and failure to engage with the National Coalition of Chiefs (NCC) on the future of the nation’s children. While Minister Alty assured…












