Liberals could find out soon whether their rushed projects bill will spark another Idle No More

National Post

09-07-2025

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A lot of Indigenous leaders agree with the urgency of powering up the economy.
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David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, told the Senate that he supports the legislation because the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump threaten the Canadian economy, which would cause hardship for his people. 'We stand with you,' he said.
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Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said he's concerned about the legislation's ability to limit native rights but he's also hopeful that big projects could be very good for Far North communities. 'There's an incredible opportunity to really become an Arctic nation,' Obed said.
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Whatever acrimony has erupted over the legislation obscures the improved relations between Indigenous groups and Canadian governments, said Shannon Joseph, chair of Energy for a Secure Future, a non-partisan group that focuses on energy policy.
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One of the recent trends that had helped improve the relationship is the increase in the number of natural resources projects where Aboriginal communities have taken equity stakes, aided at times by government loan guarantee programs.
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'Indigenous peoples are at the heart of this (process),' Joseph said.
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Carney is now going to great lengths to show that he sees things that way too, emphasizing that Ottawa won't deem projects to be in the national interest without first consulting with affected Aboriginal communities. The new office responsible for advancing big projects will include an Indigenous advisory council that he said will be responsible for ensuring that Aboriginal rights are respected.
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After the federal bill was passed in Parliament, however, Carney acknowledged that there's more work to be done and said that he plans to begin consultations with Indigenous groups July 17.
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'The first thing we will do to launch the implementation of this legislation in the right way is through full-day summits,' Carney said a week before the bill was passed.
The federal legislation has company in its intent and controversy: Recent bills have also passed in Ontario and British Columbia that were designed to fast-track major projects. And both were criticized for inadequate consultation with First Nations. Ontario Premier Doug Ford made things worse when he opened old wounds around trust and paternalism when he boosted his provincial bill by arguing that Aboriginal communities can't expect to continue to get economic support if they don't support the infrastructure projects that the economy needs.
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'You can't just keep coming hat in hand all the time to government,' Ford said. 'You gotta be able to take care of yourselves.' He soon after apologized.
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Fiddler was among several Indigenous leaders who accused Ford of racism. Fiddler's riposte was that native communities are tired of federal and provincial governments coming 'hat in hand' for the resources on Aboriginal land.
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Fiddler says it's not too late to stop the damage to a slowly improving relationship between governments and First Nations. But that would mean slowing down legislation to give Aboriginal communities more time to review and consult with their communities and potentially push for changes. But politicians across Canada are suddenly in a hurry; they're taking their chances.
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