Council of the Federation

In 2003, the Premiers of all provinces and territories created the Council of the Federation (COF), which was rebranded ‘Canada’s Premiers’ in 2013, to promote interprovincial-territorial cooperation and closer ties between members of the Council and to show leadership on issues important to all Canadians. Canada’s Premiers meetings are chaired and hosted by provincial or territorial Premiers on a rotating basis. There is an annual summer meeting and often a winter meeting. 

Aboriginal Affairs Working Group

The Northwest Territories is currently the chair of the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group. This is a national group that includes provincial and territorial ministers of Aboriginal Affairs and leaders of the five national Aboriginal organizations:

• Assembly of First Nations
• Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
• Métis National Council
• Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
• Native Women’s Association of Canada

The group works together to improve conditions for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, including on issues such as:

• Increasing graduation rates for Aboriginal students
• Supporting economic development in Aboriginal communities
• Ending violence against Aboriginal women and girls
• Aboriginal housing 
• Disaster mitigation and emergency management in Aboriginal communities

Western Premiers' Conference

The Western Premiers’ Conference (WPC) is an annual meeting of the Premiers of the four western provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) and the three territories (Yukon, NWT and Nunavut) to discuss issues and initiatives of common importance. The WPC is chaired and hosted by provincial and territorial Premiers on a rotating basis. The Northwest Territories chaired and hosted the WPC in 1998, 2004 and most recently in 2011.