Let’s build real economic power in partnership with First Nations
The federal government newly announced that they are going to give Indigenous governments across Canada only 30 days to review their proposed overhaul of major project approval processes. While governments in Canada continue grasping at straws to find new and dramatic ways to make it look like they’re taking action to protect the economy, this proposal is another missed opportunity to build real economic power in partnership with First Nations.
Indigenous governments across Canada have proven themselves to be reliable and industrious partners to clean and responsible nation-building development. The federal government’s decision to press forward with cursory and tokenistic consultations is a step back from the real progress that has been made, in exchange for no particular benefit to Canadians.
In the search by federal and provincial governments for meaningful responses to the economic threats posed by our ongoing trade war with the United States, among the low-hanging fruit has been to ‘speed up’ what some describe as Canada’s “notoriously sluggish” approvals system for major projects.
Yet too often, it isn’t the regulatory process or consultations which slow down approvals and get in the way of development. Rather, it is governments and proponents attempting to avoid or limit their obligations to Indigenous partners by downplaying impacts to rights and the environment, which create delays.
Consultations exist to protect First Nations communities, in accordance with their rights – but they also protect all Canadians, and always better project outcomes. Skipping this step isn’t the answer.
From the outset, many First Nations have raised serious concerns that these moves to cut timelines for environmental and impact assessments of major, landscape-defining projects would hollow out their constitutionally protected rights and ways of life. At the same time, promises by government to project developers to fast-track their applications have led to concerns about First Nations being cut out of economic development opportunities and the prosperity which these projects can bring to their regions.
First Nations won’t let it happen. What looks like a fast-track would just end up bogged down in the courts. And all of the major projects currently being promoted by the Premiers and Prime Minister will require Indigenous consent.
Alberta’s much vaunted pipeline through B.C. that Prime Minister Carney has been trying so hard to get built, much to Premier Eby’s dismay, would traverse First Nation lands. The critical minerals in the Ring of Fire that Premier Ford has been promising for several election cycles to drive a bulldozer through, and the roads needed to get those minerals to market, will all be on First Nation lands.
The solution that governments in Canada seem to have landed on is to approve projects before assessing their merits. Because of how the constitutional obligation for governments to consult with Indigenous peoples operates, this also means that decisions will be made before Indigenous governments have meaningful opportunities to consider how projects will impact their communities, their rights and their livelihoods.
To approve a project before the impact assessment and consultation with Indigenous governments take place is to gamble on whether the new dam or mine will poison the community’s drinking water or if it will bring prosperity and jobs to the region. Properly studying proposals, ensuring that the First Nations whose land the projects are being built on consent to and participate in those projects, is the surest way to tilt the balance towards prosperity for all rather than harm.
The proof can be seen in projects across Canada. From hydro transmission lines in Ontario to rail and port projects in Manitoba and from mineral exploration in British Columbia to expanded commercial fisheries in the Atlantic provinces. When First Nations are respected as partners, instead of an inconvenient obligation to be avoided, projects move faster and create greater benefits for all involved.
All Canadians should reject government efforts to short-circuit due process. Impact assessments are where proponents and regulators work the kinks out of projects. It’s when projects are pressure tested to determine if they’re commercially viable. And it’s when project changes are introduced to make major industrial efforts less harmful to the environment and the people who depend on that environment.
Instead of trying to cut First Nations out of projects in their own territories and fast-tracking risky projects without proper oversight or due diligence, governments must bring First Nations to the table and make it clear that it is partnerships, not shortcuts, that will keep the economy growing.
Photo courtesy of DepositPhotos
