As Nation to Nation looks ahead to 2026, flashpoints are forming in Indigenous–Crown politics.

Long‑delayed drinking water legislation is back on the agenda, raising questions about whether promised First Nations governance over source water — and the funding to make it happen — will survive.

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On this episode of Nation to Nation, three journalists who've spent the year covering Indigenous–federal politics sat down for a blunt look at where things stand.

The verdict? Canada may have entered a post-reconciliation era and the cracks are starting to show.

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Two separate processes, now in motion to try to end long-standing discrimination in the federal on-reserve child-welfare system, will take important steps this month.

Chiefs in Ontario are seeking approval from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for a regional reform agreement, while First Nations leaders in the rest of the country, represented by the National Chief's Children's Council (NCCC), will present their own draft plan to the Tribunal just before Christmas.

That's on this episode of Nation to Nation.

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The Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly opened this week with a blunt assessment from National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who told delegates the federal government had fallen short on key promises.

But the national chief also marked one significant win, an agreement securing a First Nations seat at the First Ministers meeting.

That's on this episode of Nation to Nation.

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Sweeping changes to Bill S-2 that would eliminate the second-generation cutoff from the Indian Act will face a crucial vote in the Senate on Tuesday.

If the amendments are approved, they will mark a historic step toward ending decades of gender-based discrimination in First Nations status law—but they also risk delaying the bill's original goal, resolving a Charter challenge.

That's on this episode of Nation to Nation.

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The Carney government's first budget passed with opposition support, but not everyone backed it. Nunavut MP Lori Idlout explains why she abstained.

Plus, renewed plans for a gas pipeline in B.C. face opposition from Lax'yip Firekeepers.

And $2.8 billion earmarked for off-reserve housing remains unspent. We hear from advocates calling for action.

That's on this episode of Nation to Nation.

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Ottawa's big push on critical minerals and what it means for communities.

Mark Carney calls mining Canada's way out of U.S. trade dependence. One chief in Ontario says he's being pressured to approve a project that could threaten local water. In the Yukon, a gold mine spill has damaged public trust. And an Inuk deputy minister warns Ottawa is moving forward without consent.

That's on this episode of Nation to Nation.

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Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says the column of zeros under projections for years beyond 2026 in the federal budget doesn't mean cuts to the department but reflects a shift in "program reform."

That's on Nation to Nation.

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After hearing from more than 50 witnesses—many of them emotional, some even angry—the Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples is preparing to go further than the government ever intended in restoring legal recognition to "non-status Indians."

That's on Nation to Nation.

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The head of the Chiefs of Ontario says the Liberal government needs to live up to its promise to reintroduce legislation that will make clean water in First Nations communities law.

That's on Nation to Nation.

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