First Nations meet Carney and the premiers Monday for the first time since 2005. Two premiers won’t come.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and the country’s premiers sit down with First Nations leaders in Ottawa on Monday, the first meeting of its kind since the Kelowna Accord talks of 2005. Two premiers, Quebec’s Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Alberta’s Danielle Smith, have said they will not be there.

The 2005 talks brought then-prime minister Paul Martin, the premiers and Indigenous leaders together to work on closing the socioeconomic gaps in Indigenous communities. Those gaps are why Monday’s meeting is being watched as a test of whether governments will commit to something measurable. Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak calls it a chance to redefine the relationship, though CBC reports it opens under a cloud of skepticism.

The meeting is closed-door, and few details were released ahead of it. It follows a day of ceremony on Sunday hosted by the AFN, with Carney and the premiers invited. Woodhouse Nepinak said it was important to begin with ceremony so everyone enters “with the right frame of mind, grounded in First Nations spirituality.” She noted that such ceremonies were once prohibited under the Indian Act, which is why she wanted the prime minister and premiers in the room.

First Nations leaders have been clear that attending is not agreeing. Chiefs have said participation does not amount to consent to major development projects, and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs singled out Bill 39, which speeds up approvals for major projects. “If we are not at the table, we’re on the menu,” the assembly said.

Priorities differ across the country. Some leaders are pressing for a First Nations sovereign wealth fund to “pool capital to ensure First Nations can build long-term wealth.” Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said treaties “are agreements between Nations,” rejecting the idea that old arrangements can be set aside when inconvenient. Chief Jeff Copenance warned that an economic agenda alone would leave out homelessness, addiction and suicide.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said resolving those long-standing issues will take sustained commitment well beyond one meeting. Whether Monday ends with commitments carrying dates and dollar figures, or only a statement, will be known when the talks close.