First Nations leaders blast feds for attributing deficit overrun to Indigenous legal claims

Government House leader Karina Gould tables the Fall Economic Statement in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.

First Nations leaders are blasting the federal government and calling for an apology after Ottawa attributed its latest deficit overrun to Indigenous legal claims against the Crown. The statement "harkened back to the colonial mindset" to villainize and scapegoat First Nations, one leader says.