OTTAWA — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew invoked a famous line from Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels on Monday as he called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to abolish Canada's Indian Act.“Let's get rid of the Indian Act,” Kinew told reporters during the First Nations–First Ministers meeting in Ottawa.“You have nothing to lose but your chains.”The remark echoes the closing words of The Communist Manifesto, published by Marx and Engels in 1848, which calls on workers to unite because they have nothing to lose but their chains.Kinew made the comments during the first meeting between Canada's premiers, a prime minister and First Nations leaders in more than two decades.Earlier in the day, the Manitoba premier held up his own First Nations status card, questioning why Canada still uses legislation that identifies people according to their indigenous ancestry..The Indian Act, first enacted in 1876, governs matters including First Nations status, reserve lands and band administration.Kinew argued that abolishing the legislation would not require Canada to abandon its treaty obligations or constitutional protections for First Nations.“We can still have the treaties, we can still have the constitutional rights that have been articulated under Section 35 and recognized, but we don't need the Indian Act to do those things,” he said.“You can have self-determination and you can have strong indigenous nationhood, while at the same time not having the paternalism and the barriers that come with the Indian Act.”Asked whether abolishing the act would require reopening the Constitution, Kinew said it would not.He also made clear that the federal government could not simply repeal the legislation without consulting First Nations.“This is not something that can be imposed,” Kinew said, adding that any process would need direction from First Nations governments and chiefs..When asked about a timeline, the premier suggested the work could take years.“We got maybe a decade. I don't know,” he said.Carney later confirmed that his government would begin discussions with First Nations about moving beyond the Indian Act, including the possibility of reforming or abolishing it.The prime minister said he would direct federal ministers to work with First Nations leadership on a path forward.Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak cautioned that the legislation still contains protections for First Nations and that communities must decide for themselves how to proceed.The meeting also focused on economic development, infrastructure and greater First Nations participation in major resource projects.Carney announced plans to explore a First Nations sovereign wealth fund and committed $260 million over four years for a new indigenous workforce readiness program.No timeline has been established for repealing or replacing the Indian Act.
