Everything's Wrong with Indigenous Advisory Council for Major Projects Office
Indigenous youth protest outside Prime Minister Carney's July
17, 2025 consultation meeting with Indigenous leaders in Ottawa.
On September 10 Prime Minister Carney's office announced the 11 members of the Indigenous Advisory Council for the Major Projects Office (MPO).[1] The news release from the Prime Minister's office states: "This Major Projects Office will benefit from the leadership and guidance of the Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) – eleven representatives from First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Modern Treaty and Self-Governing communities. These leaders bring deep expertise and experience, and they will help guide the MPO's work to ensure that major projects create opportunities for equity ownership and responsible resource management through meaningful participation with Indigenous Peoples."
Having not even consulted as to who should be on the advisory council, the news release goes on to assert that "meaningful consultation with Indigenous Peoples is embedded in the Building Canada Act." Given that the Building Canada Act itself has been condemned by Indigenous communities because it was imposed without any such consultation and puts in place mechanisms by which the federal government can trample on Indigenous rights in the name of "nation-building," this is what is called adding insult to injury.
Carney's Indigenous Advisory
Council is a failed attempt to silence opposition to the plans
to fast-track resource extraction and export and infrastructure
projects demanded by the rich through the Major Projects Office.
It is to cause division amongst the people by designating
hand-picked individuals, chosen, according to the Privy Council
Office, "for their expertise in areas such as major projects,
economic development, Indigenous rights, and regulatory
processes." In other words, their role is to give legitimacy to
projects that the government has deemed to be in the "collective
interest." These are already tagged as projects which will
invite foreign investment to plunder Canada's energy and mineral
resources and serve further transformation to a war economy. It
is no coincidence that the business experience of members of the
IAC are membership on corporate boards of mining, oil and gas,
and utility companies, among others.
Besides the IAC, the Carney government has implemented other measures to entice participation from Indigenous communities and suppress opposition: "To increase Indigenous Peoples' capacity to engage on major projects, the Government of Canada has committed $40 million over two years to support consultation and preparation for community readiness activities as it relates to major projects." "Community readiness activities" is typical government speak which covers up to whom the funds go and what happens to them.
The Government of Canada also doubled the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program to $10 billion, in the name of enabling more Indigenous communities "to acquire equity ownership of major projects without cost." A loan program without cost. The suggestion that owning property is somehow going to make the Indigenous Peoples equal to the rich amongst Canada's property owners is such a fraud, it doesn't get more condescending than that.
Some Indigenous leaders denounced
the lack of transparency and of Indigenous participation in the
selection of the members of the IAC. Anishinabek Nation Grand
Council Chief Linda Debassige told the Hill Times that
there had been little or no information with respect to the
process of the establishment of the IAC, that chiefs of the 39
Anishinabek nations heard nothing from the government about how
it was formed and that it is unclear what the body's role will
be. She added, "Our communities, our nations, are of the opinion
that the advisory council are not the rights holders to the land
that will be impacted by proposed project development."
Abram Benedict of the Chiefs of Ontario which represents 133 First Nations said that they were not consulted on who was to be appointed or asked to put forward any proposals. Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) President Margaret Froh told the Hill Times that at the Métis Major Projects Summit convened by Carney on August 7, Métis governments were invited to submit names and that the MNO did submit names.
Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said, in a statement on September 10, that "Canada is once again moving forward without respecting the voices, jurisdiction, and decision-making authority of First Nations in Manitoba. ... Not one First Nations leader was even considered. This is not inclusion – it is exclusion.... First Nations in Manitoba will determine their own place in these processes. First Nations leadership, and their respective nations, will decide on how they will engage in these major projects and give direction."
Some leaders that opposed the exclusion of Indigenous voices from any discussion on Bill C-5 and opposed the way the IAC members were appointed, expressed hope that Indigenous Peoples would be involved in decision-making on major projects. Chief Debassige's assessment was that the IAC is "an entity that's going to be set up for failure, and quite honestly, probably used as a scapegoat for any failures that Canada experiences. Their idea of compensation is, you know, do what they need to do now, get their hands slapped later and pay out compensation. But that's not the way First Nations want to do business."
In announcing the 11 members of
the IAC for the MPO September 10, Carney said, "The members
bring deep expertise in economic participation, impact
assessments and [knowledge of the United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous People] and the council will ensure
that projects move forward in true partnership with Indigenous
Peoples." The IAC includes membership from Nova Scotia, Quebec,
Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
Presumably the council is meant to give the appearance of
Indigenous approval for the so-called nation-building projects
to be spearheaded by the MPO and the legislative and regulatory
changes brought in by Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act.
In reality, it covers up the broad opposition from Indigenous
Peoples and many others concerned about the social and natural
environment, who reject Bill C-5 and the deregulation,
nation-wrecking and pay-the-rich schemes being taken up by the
Carney government in the name of "nation-building."
First Nations Major Project Coalition Begins Discussion on
Economic Corridor from Manitoba to British Columbia
The Globe and Mail
reported on August 28 that the First Nations Major Project
Coalition (FNMPC) has begun initial discussions on a proposal to
create an economic corridor from Churchill, Manitoba on the
western shore of Hudson's Bay, to Prince Rupert on the Pacific
Coast. In 2022, the FNMPC received $13.5 million from the
federal government to further its work to promote Indigenous
participation in natural resource projects, including critical
minerals. Mark Podlasly, Chief Executive of the First Nations
Major Project Coalition said that the members of the coalition
are interested in participating in major projects.
The FNMPC was established in 2017. Its website says that it is "a national 170+ collective group of First Nations made up of elected councils, hereditary Chiefs, Tribal Councils and Development Corporations, who have made the decision to come together to advance our shared interests of participating, and where appropriate gaining equity positions in the major projects taking place in our territories."
It says that, "Under our broad mandate, FNMPC provides our First Nation members with access to tools, knowledge, and advice used to make free, prior, and informed business decisions about First Nation involvement and participation in major natural resource and infrastructure projects. Our services focus on supporting the economic, environmental, and public policy interests of our members in a non-political and business focused way." It says that the "FNMPC is now active on 18 major projects located in three different areas of Canada." The organization further says that it "values being project and industry agnostic. FNMPC will not advocate for or against a particular industry or project" and further more, that it is "non-political." Specifically, "The FNMPC does not take political positions, nor does it get involved in issues concerning Treaty rights, territorial boundaries, or issues of rights and title generally."
Note
1. Biographies of the members of the Indigenous Advisory Council on the Major Projects can be found on its website. The members are:
- Kluane Adamek, Kluane First Nation, Yukon
- Chief Darcy Bear, Whitecap Dakota First Nation, Saskatchewan
- Vanessa Doig, Makivvik, Northern Quebec
- JP Gladu, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, Ontario (Gladu serves on the boards of Suncor, the Institute of Corporate Directors, Superior Plus, BHP's Forum for Corporate Responsibility and Domtar's Sustainability Committee. He has completed a forestry technician diploma from Sault College, obtained an undergraduate degree in forestry from Northern Arizona University, holds an Executive MBA from Queen's University, an ICD.D from Rotman School of Management University of Toronto, an honourary doctorate in law from Carleton University in 2024 and an honourary doctorate in business from Lakehead University in 2025.)
- Victoria LaBillois, Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation, Québec
- Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi, Beaver First Nation (Treaty 8), Alberta
- Chief Terry Paul, Membertou First Nation, Nova Scotia
- Lorne Pelletier, Manitoba Métis Federation, Manitoba
- Christy Sinclair, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Nunavut
- Crystal Smith, Haisla Nation, British Columbia (According to government biographies, amongst other things, she is Chair of the First Nations LNG Alliance, a former Director of the First Nations Climate Initiative, a Board Director at Taseko Mines, and a member of TC Energy's Indigenous Advisory Council. Her achievements have earned her the BC Business Women of the Year award, Public Policy Forum Honouree, Energy Person of the Year, and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.)
- Matt Vermette, Metis Nation Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan
This article was published in
Volume 55
Number 10 - October 2025
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2025/Articles/M5501011.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca