Some of 2025’s big stories in Indigenous politics could heat up in 2026

For number unity Nations, in at to the lowest degree one francis scott key country, 2025 ended the same way it started: with the Canadian government fighting Indigenous people in court, trying to limit Ottawa’s legal duty to provide Indigenous kids with essential services. And losing, again.

On Dec. 20 2024, one of the Trudeau government’s last acts of the year was to start a court challenge against the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, aiming to overturn a legal order requiring Canada to tackle a backlog of requests at the Jordan's Principle initiative.

A year later, on Dec. 15, 2025, the Carney government found itself on the losing end of a precedent-setting Jordan’s Principle case at the Federal Court of Appeal. The decision only further entrenched Ottawa’s legal obligations.

While those two cases bookended an arguably familiar situation — as a long-standing legal battle continues — 2025 also saw some major shifts in the Indigenous political world. 

Here is a look back at some of those events.

The trouble at the Jordan’s Principle program was constant.

Amid the growing backlog of requests, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) was implementing a contentious new operational bulletin that limited the services eligible for funding.

Jordan's Principle changes explained

An official with the Cree community of Kashechewan told me they had to pause a suicide-prevention program due to the changes. A family in southern Ontario called it a nightmare, as their autistic son was poised to lose funding for his education. The nightmare soon became all too real when Canada did indeed pull funding for eight-year-old Ethan Maracle's schooling.

Other Jordan’s Principle users fought their denials in court and won, culminating in Canada’s loss to First Nations grandmother Joanne Powless at the Federal Court of Appeal in December.

The battle continues, mainly over the future of the on-reserve child welfare system.

And then you had Mark Carney.

The newly elected prime minister instituted tectonic political shifts in the capital — and earned some early rebukes from First Nations leaders.

Amid election talk of imposing a pipeline on Indigenous nations, Indigenous leaders demanded inclusion. Some even threatened an Idle No More 2.0 protest movement should Carney forge ahead on fast-tracking projects without their consent.

Carney tells AFN's B.C. Regional chief he looks forward to meeting with Coastal First Nations

Cue the damage control. The government hastily organized a series of summer summits to try to ease the concerns. I spoke to dozens of leaders and heard everything from unwavering resistance to eager support. 

As the year wound down, the mounting frustration was palpable. An oft-repeated complaint was that Carney only vowed to consult Indigenous leaders after rushing his major projects law through Parliament.

That frustration was evident on Dec. 2, when the Assembly of First Nations unanimously endorsed a resolution calling for the retraction of Canada’s memorandum of understanding with Alberta on pipeline and energy development.

Carney was there later that day, in a familiar spot: in a conference room packed with chiefs, trying to ease their concerns.

There was the Cowichan decision, too.

In early August, a B.C. Supreme Court judge found the Cowichan Tribes have Aboriginal title to between 300 and 324 hectares in the City of Richmond, where privately owned homes are built on top of a historic village site.

The case spanned an incredible 11 years and more than 500 hearing days, in a complex trial that was capped with the landmark ruling. 

In the immediate aftermath, confusion reigned. 

How can Aboriginal title and private property rights coexist? The question hasn’t been answered in Canadian law. 

High-stakes appeals are pending, and this lengthy case is far from over.

Meanwhile, a complex, nine-week civil trial pitting Métis leaders against each other wrapped in March with closing arguments. The high-stakes multimillion-dollar lawsuit was filed in 2022 by Cassidy Caron, then-president of the Métis National Council (MNC), against her predecessors.

Three years later, at trial, federal officials were subpoenaed to testify about whether leaders from the Manitoba Métis Federation mismanaged millions of dollars earmarked for an MNC veterans recognition program.

It ended in disaster for MNC, and vindication for the Manitoba federation.  

In November, Ontario Superior Court Justice Loretta Merritt said MNC’s witnesses were "evasive" and gave evidence that 'was not very helpful," "not logical" and, at times, "clearly wrong.'

"Political disputes are best resolved at the ballot box," Merritt wrote.

The court also said MNC must pay the defendants' legal bills, reportedly in the millions of dollars. 

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