National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says it’s critical that First Nations are part of the Major Projects Office’s process.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
The Assembly of First Nations National Chief said she’s willing to go to court to ensure the rights of First Nations are protected as the government starts to fast-track projects deemed to be of national interest.
Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak was speaking at the first day of the AFN’s annual meeting in Ottawa, which runs through Thursday. The AFN is an advocacy group that represents more than 600 First Nations across Canada.
And concerns about the Major Projects Office were among the top issues raised at the meeting. Last month, the government announced the first three projects it intends to fast-track under the Building Canada Act. All three are in northern locations.
She said the government’s plans to fast-track major infrastructure projects will “fundamentally alter the way Canada protects or does not protect our planet.”
In her speech, Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said First Nations are for economic growth that will drive Canada’s prosperity. “But not at the expense of our rights or of the Crown’s legal obligations to our people.”
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She said it’s critical that First Nations are part of the MPO’s process.
“I’m just going to say this, that nothing is off the table, courts included,” Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview when asked what she would do if First Nations concerns about major projects aren’t addressed.
During the past year, the AFN has raised concerns about the proposed Alberta-B.C. pipeline, clean water and the risks that infrastructure projects could trample on treaty rights.
“Court processes are expensive. People end up fighting in court. Let’s not go that way. Why does it have to be that way in Canada and everything when it comes to First Nations?” Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said in the interview.
“Don’t we want to be at the table working with each other in a good way? I hope so.”
Asked if she would take her concerns to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said she talks often to him, including a discussion the night before her speech. She said the topic was wildfires. “I live in Ottawa and I meet the Prime Minister all the time,” she said.
Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak also said she is concerned about addressing the First Nations infrastructure gap – the schools, roads, housing and other infrastructure required to bring life for First Nations to a level consistent with the rest of Canada.
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In the interview, she said it would cost $350-billion to address that issue. “If we can figure out a way to tackle that year after year after year, we’ll close it – make all of our kids have the same quality of life across the country,” she said.
Still Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak was hopeful about a meeting scheduled for Oct. 26 between First Nations leaders, the premiers and the Prime Minister.
Gabriel Brunet, a press secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, said in a Tuesday statement that the federal government worked with Indigenous partners in the fall.
“We heard about the need to engage on proposals being considered relating to major projects, and we agree – Indigenous partnership is critical to building a stronger, more resilient Canadian economy, and to the success of nation-building projects," he said.
“We have been in touch with the National Chief’s office and look forward to continued engagement on these proposals,” he said in the statement.
Ottawa has referred 16 projects to the Major Projects Office, since it was established in August. The first three to be declared of national interest and therefore able to be fast-tracked are the Mackenzie Valley Highway Project in the Northwest Territories, the Grays Bay Road and Port Project in Nunavut, and a nuclear waste deep storage project in Northwestern Ontario.