Proposed fast-tracking of national projects 'serious threat' to treaty rights: AFN Chief

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s legislation to fast-track projects deemed in the national interest is expected to be tabled in the House of Commons in a matter of days but is already facing some resistance from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). In a letter to Carney dated May 30 obtained by the National Post, AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak wrote that the proposed bill, in its current form, “suggests a serious threat to First Nations exercise of Treaty rights, inherent rights, title and jurisdiction.” Woodhouse Nepinak insisted First Nations’ “free, prior and informed consent” must be obtained before any major infrastructure and energy projects move ahead. “Otherwise, this legislation like so many before it, will become marred in conflict and protracted litigation, because First Nations rights have once again been ignored,” she wrote in an apparent warning to the newly-elected prime minister. Woodhouse Nepinak was asked to weigh in on the proposed legislation by senior officials of the Privy Council Office (PCO) who sent her a letter dated May 23. “Now more than ever, the future of Canada’s economy depends on a collaborative and coordinated approach among federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments,” wrote Christiane Fox, deputy clerk, and Mollie Johnson, deputy secretary to the cabinet. Carney held a first ministers’ meeting in Saskatoon on Monday to discuss plans to knock down trade barriers and fast-track national projects. He also met with oil and gas executives , as well as Indigenous leaders, over the weekend about those plans. Fox and Johnson said the “One Canadian Economy” legislation is expected to be tabled in early June. It will not only include a framework to remove federal barriers to internal trade but provide faster regulatory approval for projects through a new office for major projects. According to last week’s speech from the throne, the government expects the time needed to approve projects to be reduced from five years to two through the creation of this new office, all while upholding Canada’s “constitutional obligations to Indigenous peoples.” The government also vowed to strike co-operation agreements “with every interested province and territory within six months to realize its goal of ‘one project, one review.’” In their letter, the senior PCO officials asked Woodhouse Nepinak to provide the AFN’s comments by May 30, which she did. “We understand the timelines are accelerated, but immediate cooperation is required to secure our national interests,” wrote Fox and Johnson. In her reply, Woodhouse Nepinak wrote that her team had less than a week to “review the small amount of information shared” and that she has not received a mandate from members on the proposal as the AFN’s next assembly is scheduled to be held in July. She offered the AFN’s “preliminary observations… given the unacceptably tight deadline proposed by PCO.” The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, has also complained about being excluded from the first ministers’ meeting. The FSIN was, however, invited to a meeting on Sunday, which it attended. “The Prime Minister and Premiers will be making decisions about our traditional territory without our voices at the table despite the fact Saskatchewan is First Nation ancestral and traditional lands,” said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron in a press release. “This continues the colonial pattern of excluding First Nations from decisions that directly affect our people and our lands.” National Post calevesque@postmedia.com staylor@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.