Can Mark Carney rebuild trust with Indigenous people? – National Observer

May 5th 2025

Indigenous communities are closely watching how the new Carney government will rebuild the trust that some critics say was eroded under Justin Trudeau’s leadership.

Trudeau’s government failed to deliver on its promise to lift all long-term drinking water advisories and made little progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action. Meanwhile, resource projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline moved forward without full Indigenous consent.

Trudeau was the first prime minister to put Indigenous reconciliation on the national agenda, which was a step forward. But he set expectations that weren’t realistic for his term, said Niigaan Sinclair, Anishinaabe scholar, commentator and professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba. As a result, Sinclair said there was a loss of faith in the electoral process and a growing sense that change was too slow. This skepticism is reflected in the number of Indigenous candidates who ran in the recent election — just 45, down from 79 in 2021; twelve were elected.

Read More: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/05/05/analysis/mark-carney-indigenous-issues