Poilievre reiterates concerns with Liberals' UNDRIP law in Assembly of First Nations forum

Brett Forester · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 6:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pitched First Nations leaders with what helium called "practical, doable" solutions to make economical prosperity connected Tuesday, but besides reiterated his concerns with the United Nations Declaration connected the Rights of Indigenous Peoples' imaginable interaction connected assets development.

"The Conservative Party supports the goals and aspirations of UNDRIP," Poilievre said during a moderated virtual forum with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).

"But we are acrophobic that going up with the authorities that has been passed earlier we had the communal knowing of what escaped anterior and informed consent meant successful instrumentality raises immoderate questions."

UNDRIP is simply a quality rights instrumentality that acknowledges Indigenous Peoples person the close to give oregon withhold consent for projects that interaction them. The Conservatives have opposed this argumentation arsenic a "veto," portion the Liberals passed authorities successful 2021 requiring federal laws be harmonized with UNDRIP.

AFN, an advocacy enactment for chiefs countrywide, is holding virtual forums with enactment leaders up of the wide predetermination April 28. Green Party Co-Leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault appeared successful a league April 14 and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh volition code the forum Wednesday.

Poilievre earlier connected Tuesday released his national predetermination platform, wherever the archetypal notation of Indigenous Peoples comes aft a committedness to "get projects built again by repealing the Liberal anti-development laws" passed implicit the past decade.

"We'll besides enactment with Indigenous partners to process and merchantability our cleanable earthy resources to get overseas countries disconnected burning higher-emission fuels and combat clime change," the level says.

Other Conservative promises see introducing an optional First Nations Resource Charge, creating a caller Indigenous Opportunities Corporation and creating an Indigenous Outcomes Fund.

Poilievre told the AFN a Conservative government, if elected, would introduce a caller measure to supply First Nations with cleanable water, recognizing this is simply a ineligible work pursuing a Federal Court-approved class-action settlement. 

"Conservatives admit the deficiency of harmless h2o for First Nations communities is simply a nationalist shame and has been going connected for acold excessively long," helium said.

He besides promised to trim bureaucratic reddish portion for on-reserve infrastructure backing and enactment the continued implementation of Jordan's Principle.

Sidesteps question connected UNDRIP

UNDRIP, however, was a sticking point. 

Poilievre hasn't said whether helium considers the Liberals' UNDRIP Act to beryllium among the "anti-development laws" helium wants to repeal, but helium did ballot against it and told the House of Commons helium was arrogant to reason it.

He sidestepped again connected Tuesday erstwhile asked straight if a Conservative authorities would afloat instrumentality the law.

"We volition proceed to enactment to heighten First Nations rights," helium said. 

"We judge that First Nations person Indigenous rights that are represented by the Charter and that request to beryllium upheld."

The Liberal level says it would instrumentality the UNDRIP law's enactment plan, portion the NDP promises to honour the modular of free, anterior and informed consent.

The Conservative level does committedness to found a nation-to-nation consultation process for large authorities and projects straight impacting First Nations, Inuit and Metis. Poilievre besides told the assembly a Conservative authorities would see First Nations astir the array successful the commercialized struggle with the United States.

"We volition guarantee that each of the rights, the treaties, the self-government agreements and the law guarantees for the Indigenous radical of Canada are protected and safeguarded," helium said.

Defends candidate Aaron Gunn

One happening the Conservative Party's platform does not notation is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action. In 2008, Poilievre was forced to apologize aft suggesting residential schoolhouse survivors needed a amended enactment ethic, alternatively than much compensation money.

Poilievre was asked again Tuesday to denounce British Columbia Conservative campaigner Aaron Gunn, whom First Nations leaders have criticized for social media posts that said residential schools "were asked for by Indigenous bands" and did not represent genocide, but the person stood firm.

"I person sought clarification and Mr. Gunn does admit the atrocity of residential schools and the precise existent and harmful interaction they person had," helium said. 

WATCH | Poilievre addresses AFN past summer:

Since becoming leader, Poilievre has courted First Nations voters successful ways his contiguous predecessors haven't. He spoke earlier the AFN's yearly summertime gathering successful idiosyncratic successful July 2024, for lawsuit — thing Erin O'Toole and Andrew Scheer ne'er did arsenic Tory leader.