BOUCTOUCHE, NEW BRUNSWICK—Premiers from across the country met with national and local Indigenous leaders here Wednesday morning, though for the second year in a row three major groups declined to attend.New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant called the no-show of the groups “unfortunate,” but said he expected the morning of discussions would be successful nonetheless.“This is a good chance for us to be able to listen to First Nations and Indigenous people about what their concerns and what their opportunities are,” Gallant, who becomes chair of the Council of the Federation of Canadian premiers, told reporters on his way into the meeting held at Le Pays de la Sagouine, a tourist spot showcasing an Acadian village.He said “I certainly hope not” when asked if this might be the last such meeting held in conjunction with the premiers’ conference, which runs Wednesday to Friday in Saint Andrews, N.B. “I think it’s a lost opportunity,” for the three groups not to be there, he added. “I think there are a lot of people across the country, that if they could have a few hours with all of the premiers of the country, they would want to take that opportunity,” even though they may not like the format.The Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Métis National Council had earlier said they would not attend, saying they should be included in the main, official meetings with premiers. In attendance Wednesday morning were Robert Bertrand, National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and Francyne Joe, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, as well as a number of local Indigenous leaders.All but three premiers were at the meeting — Ontario’s Doug Ford had not yet arrived in the province, as well as British Columbia’s John Horgan and Nova Scotia’s Stephen McNeil. Read more: Doug Ford ‘excited’ to attend his first p ...
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