Latest news with #GregDesjarlais
Global News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Global News
Alberta Indigenous leaders feel ‘slighted' by Bill C-5
As Prime Minister Mark Carney's first session of Parliament draws to a close, Liberal MPs say they need to push ahead with a major projects bill. Bill C-5 would give the federal cabinet the ability to set aside various statutes to push forward approvals for a small number of major industrial projects, such as mines, pipelines and ports. The legislation would allow the federal government to designate projects in the 'national interest' and fast-track them by granting approvals within two years. It appears Bill C-5 will be pushed through the House this week with the support of both Liberal and Conservative MPs, despite warnings from environmental and Indigenous groups. The legislation is being widely criticized by Indigenous leaders and community members across the country for a lack of consultation and a tight timeline in which the government wants to pass the bill. Story continues below advertisement 'We have not been properly consulted in all the bills, all the legislation throughout. It's a one-shoe-fits-all in the government's favour,' said Grand Chief Greg Desjarlais of Treaty Six First Nations. 'It's a slight, there is just no other way to look at it,' Chief Troy 'Bossman' Knowlton of Piikani Nation said, saying Parliament's urge to push Bill C-5 ahead will affect First Nations. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It can destroy our past, it can destroy of our footprint that our people had left for thousands of years to tell the story today of who we are.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It can destroy our past, it can destroy of our footprint that our people had left for thousands of years to tell the story today of who we are." 2:11 Moe, Smith repeat calls for federal action and support for energy projects If the legislation isn't pushed through this week, the House will rise and won't return until September. Some Liberals want to see this dealt with now. MP Karina Gould said the government must strike the right balance on the bill or face court challenges. Story continues below advertisement 'There is a clear desire on the part of Canadians to be able to get big projects done in this country. We haven't been able to find the right balance in order to do that,' she said. Most Liberal MPs appear to be backing both the bill and the process. 'Are we going to continue to put this on hold, to tinker with it and make slight amendments?' said Liberal MP Marcu Powlowski. 'I think it's important we pass this legislation and there's always an opportunity afterwards to amend it.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I think it's important we pass this legislation and there's always an opportunity afterwards to amend it." Meanwhile, other Liberal MPs say the idea of the legislation is solid, but it's not perfect, and might need more time to finalize. 'I think we should move quickly to get projects done as quickly as possible. That's not to say we should have unfettered discretion and unchecked power in the government; we've got to make sure there are guardrails,' said Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. The House sitting is scheduled to end on Friday. The Liberal government has said it wants the bill passed before then. For more on this story, watch the video above. 1:46 Can the Liberal government's trade bill unify Canada's economy? — With files from Alessia Passafiume, David Baxter and Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
First Nations call on feds to reject Bill C-5
Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives for a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations is calling on the federal government to reject a bill that would have the authority to override laws, rewrite environmental regulations and sidestep constitutional obligations. 'This bill is being rushed through parliament with a design to give the cabinet power to bulldoze our rights,' said Grand Chief Greg Desjarlais in a statement. Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, would grant the federal cabinet sweeping powers to designate infrastructure projects in the national interest, fast-tracking approval through a single permit. The legislation would allow parliament to override environmental protections and public health safeguards. The Confederacy also said the bill will quash the constitutionally protected right of First Nations without debate, consultation or consent. 'Once again, Canada is using our lands and resources without any consideration of our Treaty Rights,' said Desjarlais. 'Canada claims it is responding to pressure from the U.S.—the so-called 'bully—but in doing so, Canada is using that as an excuse to bully our Nations.' The Confederacy said First Nations were given less than a week to respond to a summary of the bill and the full text was actually never provided. Chiefs of Ontario issued a statement over the weekend calling on the feds to revoke the bill. A rally organized by the Chiefs of Ontario leadership council will be held on Parliament Hill Tuesday afternoon. CTV News Edmonton reached out to the Government of Canada for comment but has yet to hear back. More to come …
National Post
09-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: Treaties can't be relied upon to stop Alberta from leaving
Various Indigenous leaders have complained vocally about Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's roundabout way of engaging with the province's separatist movement by making it easier for organized citizens to arrange for referendums. Article content Article content But the moment they have me nodding along in understanding, they pull their own sovereigntist card: arguing that the numbered treaties situated in Alberta are a higher, purer form of authority; that secession talk violates treaty rights; and that treaty land is literally their property and thus untransferable. Article content Article content We get statements like the one by Grand Chief Greg Desjarlais of Treaty 6, who wrote that Smith's referendum-friendly amendments were a 'direct violation of the Treaty relationship that exists between our Nations and the Crown,' adding, 'Our Treaties are internationally binding, solemn covenants and cannot be broken by any province or political party…. These Lands were never ceded, nor surrendered.' What he meant by 'internationally binding' wasn't clear, and he certainly wasn't correct about cessation. Treaty land is by definition ceded land — it was surrendered in exchange for benefits provided by the Crown. Article content Article content Meanwhile, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs took greater liberties in explaining their view of the law, making the case that Alberta isn't a 'nation' at international law, but that First Nations are, per the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Provinces, says the assembly, are 'administrative regions within the Canadian federation and do not possess the right to self-determination,' while First Nations have sovereignty and self-determination rights. It's a nearly malicious retelling of how Canada works: First Nations aren't sovereign — they're Crown subjects like anyone else; provinces have a large degree of self-determination power, which is detailed in the constitution. The fact that UNDRIP validates the existence of Indigenous groups around the world doesn't make other levels of human organization illegitimate. Article content Similarly, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations released a statement arguing that 'Any process of separation that fails to honour the true spirit and intent of our treaties would violate both constitutional and international law.' Article content Their frustrations make sense. Constitutional protection and the stability of a long relationship with Ottawa and hammered-out expectations are worth a lot. Plus, it's the federal government that provides funding and benefits while laying off on the thorny matters of financial disclosure. The current federal government has been generous in signing billion-dollar settlements, including one for $1.4 billion last year in Alberta.
