First Ministers conference
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In Canada a First Ministers conference is a meeting between of the provincial and territorial premiers and the Prime Minister. These events are usually held annually, but sometimes two are held in a year. First Ministers conferences began in the 1960s when they replaced earlier Dominion-Provincial conferences. They are usually held in Ottawa and are chaired by the Prime Minister. Some important First Ministers conferences were those leading up to the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords. The failed Chalottetown Accord contained a provision that would have made annual First Ministers conferences obligatory.
The conferences are important for a number of reasons. A sizable portion of provincial funding (referred to as transfer payments) comes from the federal government, the Conferences are an opportunity for the premiers to lobby for more money. Today it is common for the Premiers to meet beforehand to present a common front to the federal government They are also important in that Canada's federal system leaves a fair amount of overlap between federal and provincial jurisdictions and most large initiatives require some provincial support.
The vast majority of the activity at a First Ministers conference takes place behind closed doors. A public statement is issued after the conference, usually containing vague generalities that everyone could agree on.
Formerly, the government leaders of the territories were only occasionally invited to these conferences, depending on whether issues relevant to the north are being discussed. Today, these leaders (now called premiers too) normally attend the meetings. First Nations leaders have also long demanded the right to representation at these meetings, and sometimes some leaders have been invited.