Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde holds the eagle staff as he waits to lead the grand entry at the opening of the AFN Annual General Assembly, in Vancouver on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. (Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

First Nations leaders and delegates gathering to set course for 2019

Hundreds of First Nations leaders, elders, women, youth and other delegates are set to gather in Ottawa for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Special Chiefs Assembly (SCA) this week to set priorities and strategic direction for the coming year.

The three-day meeting at the Westin Hotel will take place under the theme Acknowledging our Challenges, Successes and Opportunities,” the AFN said in a press release.

It will also be attended by several federal cabinet ministers, including Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada Jane Philpott and Dominic Leblanc, Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade.

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May are also expected to address the assembly.

The participants will focus on wide range of issues affecting Canada’s Indigenous communities – from education, fisheries, health, the environment, economic partnerships, to early learning and child care, rights recognition, housing, policing, cannabis legalization, federal legislation and other priorities, the AFN said.

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