How the Haisla Nation became a model for Indigenous-led economic development

National Post

14-06-2025

Chief Crystal Smith has been at the forefront of the Haisla Nation's transformation into a driving force in Canada's LNG sector. The First Nation, which is governed from Kitamaat Village in the northern coastal area of British Columbia, believes 'careful and appropriate economic development will bring our people necessary self-sufficiency,' according to their website. They have partnered with natural gas companies and now own a majority stake in Cedar LNG, a floating liquefied natural gas export facility that is being built off the North Coast. It will accept natural gas coming from the main Coastal GasLink pipeline and liquefy approximately 3.3 million tonnes per year for export to Asia. Smith spoke with National Post about what economic self-determination means, how the First Nation balances growth with cultural preservation, and what others can learn from their experience. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
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Can you share the Haisla Nation's vision for economic self-determination and how that has evolved over the years?
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Our involvement in economic development started with a desire to no longer sit on the sidelines. Historically, major projects like aluminum smelters, pulp mills, and methanol facilities were built in our territory without our say — or benefit. We watched as others gained generational wealth while our people lived in poverty.
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Thanks to leadership like Ellis Ross, we began learning everything about Aboriginal rights and title to leverage that knowledge. When I joined leadership in 2013, we focused on identifying acceptable projects. LNG emerged as the most vital opportunity, and our partnership with LNG Canada and Coastal GasLink was the beginning of something meaningful. It evolved into our own project — Cedar LNG — giving us not just participation but ownership.
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What does 'success' mean to you and your community — economically, socially, and culturally?
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Success is having a strong, independent nation with people who are mentally and spiritually strong — and who have opportunity. Since 2015, revenues from industry have helped us invest in healing from generational trauma and, perhaps most importantly, in revitalizing our culture and language.
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What were the key factors that allowed the Haisla Nation to become a leader in LNG development?
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One of the biggest was our use of Aboriginal rights and title case law. It gave us the legal grounding to protect our rights and assert our place in decision-making. We also built strong partnerships — not just with companies, but internally, by involving our own people with the technical expertise to evaluate projects on our terms.
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Our people are always thinking seven generations ahead. Environmental concerns were top of mind. We hosted countless information sessions and brought in third-party experts — but what really mattered was having our own Haisla people, like Candice Wilson with a Masters in Environmental Sciences, review and explain the information in a way our members could trust.
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In many ways. One of our proudest achievements is investing $5 million of our own-source revenue into a cultural and language department — the first of its kind for us. It employs 20 people who document and teach our culture. My twin sister is one of them, and hearing her sing in our language to our grandsons makes this work worth it.