Major projects will be slowed by court challenges if rights are violated: First Nations chief

Alessia Passafiume · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 6:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 hours ago

The determination main of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations said Wednesday that governments should not velocity up large projects astatine the disbursal of First Nations rights — and warned that projects volition beryllium slowed down by tribunal challenges if First Nations are not consulted from the start.

"We're asking the authorities to travel your ain laws," Terry Teegee said, citing the United Nations Declaration connected the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that the national authorities adopted.

The authorities of Prime Minister Mark Carney introduced large economical authorities past week. The measure has 2 parts — 1 to interruption down national barriers to interior commercialized and the different to fast-track large projects. It sets retired 5 criteria to find whether a task is successful the "national interest."

Those criteria see the project's likelihood of success, whether it would fortify the country's resiliency and beforehand the interests of Indigenous Peoples, and whether it would lend to economical maturation successful an environmentally liable way.

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But First Nations leaders accidental their interests weren't considered erstwhile the authorities was being drafted and they were fixed conscionable 1 week to reappraisal and bring comments guardant connected a briefing papers connected the bill.

"It's astir apt going to instrumentality a batch longer to get support for immoderate of these projects due to the fact that we're going to extremity up successful court," Teegee said.

"This is wherever we extremity up."

The nationalist main of the Assembly of First Nations agreed.

"It's not astir the measure itself. It's astir the process. And I deliberation that ramming thing done erstwhile you should beryllium proceeding from Canadians, from industry, from First Nations … is the incorrect mode to go," Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said.

"You don't privation to extremity backmost up successful court. You don't privation to person civilian unrest. Why not conscionable invitation america to the table?"

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First Nations leaders person warned that wide protests and blockades are imaginable if governments don't get affected Indigenous communities' free, anterior and informed consent, arsenic required by the UN declaration.

The national authorities has said that declaration doesn't magnitude to a veto — a connection Justice Minister Sean Fraser walked backmost past week pursuing disapproval from Woodhouse Nepinak.

Teegee said "no authorities has a veto, meaning that erstwhile we travel to a decision, each governments travel into the country to marque a determination together."

"First Nations, surely arsenic a portion of this, request to beryllium portion of the decision-making process," helium added.

Supporters besides rise concerns

Even groups that mostly enactment improvement are raising concerns astir the national government's plan.

Mark Podlasly, CEO of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, said helium was "surprised" First Nations were lone fixed 7 days to reappraisal parts of the authorities earlier it was introduced.

"The reply volition not automatically beryllium 'no' from First Nations erstwhile a task comes along. It's conscionable that Indigenous rights and engagement has to not lone beryllium included, but respected. That hasn't happened a batch successful the Canadian past," helium said.

"There's besides a question connected the environment, and there's a question astir who bears the interaction of these projects if they're rushed through. It's going to beryllium Indigenous Peoples, particularly successful parts of the state wherever there's mining oregon vigor sources [on lands] that are integral to our lifestyle, our taste practices."

Podlasly said that portion the national authorities "seems to person Indigenous information astatine its core," it's not wide what that information volition look like, particularly nether the choky two-year support timeline the authorities seeks.

He said First Nations tin enactment projects and galore bash — but they don't privation to beryllium "caught astatine the backmost end" of decisions made without their cognition oregon consent.

"We're each operating with 7 days' notice. That's what we're operating with. And clip volition tell," helium said.

The Assembly of First Nations is holding an exigency chiefs gathering connected Monday to sermon what to bash next.

Woodhouse Nepinak vowed to travel their absorption and said a ineligible reappraisal of the authorities is ongoing.

"We request time," Woodhouse Nepinak said. "And we're not being fixed that time."