Assembly of First Nations: National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak Challenges Offensive and Alarming Statements by US President Elect

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak Challenges Offensive and Alarming Statements by US President Elect

(January 9, 2025 – Unceded Algonquin Territory, Ottawa, Ontario) — Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak issued the following statement today in response to comments from President-elect Donald J. Trump:

"As National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, I reject recent remarks by President-elect Donald J. Trump expressing a desire to force Canada to become part of the United States through economic coercion or other means. These statements are not only offensive but deeply concerning, as they undermine the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples whose inherent rights to these lands long predate both nations.

First Nations reject these outlandish, disrespectful statements regarding our ancestral and traditional territories. The borders dividing Canada and the United States traverse the ancestral lands and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples, Tribes, and Nations. We, First Nations, have inhabited our lands and territories since time immemorial, long before any colonial borders were established.

This historical fact and our territorial integrity have been recognized under International Law. We are Peoples, Tribes, and Nations with inherent and Treaty Rights to Self-Determination as recognized and affirmed by the American and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

We have entered into several international Treaties with the Crown in respect of the United Kingdom and other Nations. We also have and hold constitutional recognition and protections for our inherent, Treaty, and human rights. We speak for ourselves internationally; and have many international allies including Peoples, Tribes, and Nations south of the medicine line.

Throughout history, First Nations fought as allies of the British Crown in global conflicts with the United States. First Nations also have a long history of sacrifice, fighting for the freedoms of other nations in two World Wars, peacekeeping missions, and other conflicts. The peoples in Europe who successfully fought fascist expansionism in the last century did so with our help, many times in the front lines. Those nations have always remembered and honoured the sacrifice of our people.

First Nations retain and exercise our inherent sovereignty and self-determination rights. We will continue to fight, protect, and uphold our sacred, inherent, and inalienable rights as Peoples, Tribes, and Nations.

First Nations are integral to economic development on our Lands and Territories; as is our free, prior and informed consent respecting any development or political decisions by others. Consent is a fundamental necessity of our right to self-determination as Peoples, Tribes, and Nations and as evidenced in our Treaties with the British Crown among others.

The Assembly of First Nations remains steadfast in our determination to protect the rights, lands, territories and sovereignty of all First Nations we represent. We will continue to work collaboratively with the British Crown as Treaty partners, Canada, and other international partners to ensure that our rights are upheld, our voices are heard, and our freedoms secured. Any suggestions or discussion about the future of our ancestral lands and traditional territories must, and will, include us."

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The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is a national advocacy organization that works to advance the collective aspirations of First Nations individuals and communities across Canada on matters of national or international nature and concern. 

For more information, please contact:

Cherish Francis
Deputy Chief of Staff
National Chief's Office
(343) 630-1372 (mobile)
cfrancis@afn.ca

Dr. Wilton Littlechild
International Chief for Maskwacis Cree
(780) 335-1578

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