Carney to meet Inuit leaders to discuss Bill C-5

Globe and Mail

5 days ago

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with Inuit leaders Thursday to discuss the government's major-projects legislation, a gathering that is expected to be different in size and tone than last week's summit with First Nations.
Mr. Carney will co-chair the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, which includes Inuit leadership and federal ministers and meets regularly to discuss key issues. Along with the controversial Bill C-5, the committee is expected to discuss Arctic sovereignty and security, as well as housing and infrastructure.
The summit, where Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed is the other co-chair, is the second of three meetings Mr. Carney promised on Bill C-5. Part of the legislation allows the federal cabinet to deem projects to be of national interest and then exempt them from various laws in order to speed up approvals and construction.
Indigenous communities have voiced concerns about the law, saying they are not against development but are concerned the legislation may impact their treaty rights. The government says Indigenous groups who may be affected by proposed projects will be fully consulted at key stages.
Thursday's meeting will be relatively small. The committee makeup varies, but tends to have fewer than 20 people, compared with the hundreds who attended the First Nations meeting last week. As well, the four Inuit regions in Canada have all signed comprehensive land-claim agreements, known as modern treaties.
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The third meeting, with Métis, will take place on Aug. 7, according to the Métis National Council.
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation chair and chief executive Duane Ningaqsiq Smith, who represents Inuit living in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories and Yukon, said he wants to hear what Mr. Carney has to say about the implementation of Bill C-5, including how he plans to work with Indigenous governments.
There are already specific processes in place under his modern treaty for aspects such as procurement, he said, where the organization is working with various federal departments. Mr. Smith said he would like to see those processes enhanced.
'It's their treaty just as much as it is ours, so they have an obligation to live up to it and implement accordingly,' he said in an interview. 'I can't speak for the other regions, but for my region, we're prepared to hear the Prime Minister out in regards to how they would look to begin to implement that act and work proactively with us.'
Mr. Smith said his region is looking to recognize the potential opportunities of Bill C-5, while also respecting Inuit rights. His organization is building a gas plant and developing a local well, which he said would provide energy security for the region. It may not meet the national-interest level, he said, but he wants to speak to Mr. Carney about it.
Overall, Mr. Smith said he is 'cautiously optimistic' about the meeting. It's a chance to raise concerns about various issues, including gaps in basic services such as internet and health care.
Professor Gary Wilson, chair of the political science department at the University of Northern British Columbia, said it will probably be easier for the federal government to manage its relationship with Inuit as a whole on Bill C-5, compared with First Nations, given there are fewer people involved.
Inuit also tend to be more united, Prof. Wilson said in an interview, while First Nations have a lot of diverse views.
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Unlike First Nations, all of the Inuit regions have signed modern treaties, he added, which provide more certainty over land use and economic development. For example, treaties include different categories of land that come with different rights, he said.
While there are still issues around the government not respecting the treaties, policy disagreements and addressing past wrongs, Prof. Wilson said he thinks relations between Inuit and the federal government have been better since the creation of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee in 2017.
'I get the sense that Inuit are anxious to work with the government,' he said.
Mr. Obed told senators in June that Bill C-5 risks creating the conditions for treaties to be infringed upon. He urged Parliament to take its time with the legislation, but it was passed in under a month.
'It creates the possibility of national interest projects ending up before the courts, with litigation causing significant delays in the national interest projects moving forward,' he said.
Given that, Bill C-5 'may end up creating instability and ultimately undermining investor confidence, slowing the pace of investment needed in Inuit Nunangat,' he said, referring to the Inuit homeland.