Question Period Note: Naskapi and the Cree-Naskapi Commission Act

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About

Reference number:
CIR-2025-QP-2881
Date received:
Nov 5, 2025
Organization:
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Name of Minister:
Alty, Rebecca (Hon.)
Title of Minister:
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Issue/Question:

N.A.

Suggested Response:

• The Government of Canada is working with the Naskapi so that the Northeastern Quebec Agreement continues to meet their needs. That is why we have modified the Naskapi and the Cree-Naskapi Commission Act to match the updated Northeastern Quebec Agreement around policing jurisdiction.
• These changes to the legislation will reflect the modern realities of the Naskapi policing jurisdiction.
• These changes respect the rights and interests of the Naskapi Nation.

Background:

The Northeastern Quebec Agreement, signed in 1978, is the second modern treaty concluded in Canada. Section 13 of the Northeastern Quebec Agreement sets out Naskapi policing, including federal and provincial policing funding obligations. Canada’s financial obligations under Section 13 are fulfilled through Public Safety Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Policing Program.
The use of the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program, a discretionary program, to fund this constitutionally-protected treaty obligations has been strongly criticized by the Naskapi. On April 14, 2015, the Naskapi filed litigation with the Superior Court of Quebec alleging that Canada and Quebec had failed to respect their obligations under Section 13 of the Northeastern Quebec Agreement to adequately fund the Naskapi’s police force and to negotiate its renewal in good faith and in accordance with the honour of the Crown. Funding agreements with the Naskapi have since addressed the monetary issues raised in the 2015 litigation. The Complementary Agreement no.4 came into force on May 30, 2025. The changes to the Act ensure alignment with the amended agreement.

Additional Information:

If pressed about Section 13 (Policing) of the Northeastern Quebec Agreement amendment?
• The amendment came into force on May 30, 2025.
• Amending Section 13, via Complementary Agreement No. 4, ensures that Naskapi policing provisions under the Northeastern Quebec Agreement reflect modern processes and policies, and positions Naskapi to meet community policing needs.