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National Post

Carney pitches major project powers to skeptical First Nations as advancing 'Indigenous economic growth'

GATINEAU, Que. — Prime Minister Mark Carney entered a high-stakes meeting with First Nations leaders Thursday, touting his government's new law to fast-track major infrastructure projects as having 'Indigenous economic growth' at its heart, saying he believes consensus can be reached on how to move forward. Article content Whether Carney's pitch lands with the more than 200 chiefs and other First Nations leaders who attended the gathering remains to be seen, given the vocal pushback the law, known as Bill C-5, has received over concerns about its impact on First Nations' territories and the legal obligation the government has to consult communities. Article content Article content Article content 'I don't think … that a lot of people are happy right now in terms of the way that the government has gone about ramming through legislation without respecting the current … protections within the environment, the current protections on our water,' said Southern Chiefs' Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. Article content Article content Chiefs who attended the gathering came armed with concerns and questions about the government's new law, which ushers in a new process for approving major infrastructure projects from ports to pipelines. It aims to bring down the federal approval process necessary for projects to receive the green light to two years, down from the current five. Article content Introducing and passing what Carney coined as his 'One Canadian Economy' bill fulfilled a campaign promise he made during the spring federal election, where he pledged to remove all federal internal trade barriers by Canada Day and get more large infrastructure projects off the ground to bolster Canada's economy against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. Article content Article content Even before it was introduced, the Assembly of First Nations, the main advocacy organization representing more than 600 First Nations across the country, voiced concerns about the lack of involvement of Indigenous-rights holders in developing the bill, which it said directly impacts communities that have a constitutional right to be consulted before projects get approved. Article content Carney, who announced he would meet with chiefs in response to their concerns, has promised that the government would do so, as it decides on which projects would be deemed as benefiting the 'national interest.' Those that Carney's cabinet deems to be would be added to a list and qualify for the faster approvals process, to be coordinated through a yet-to-be-established major projects office. Article content Before Thursday's meeting got underway, Carney told reporters they are not yet at the stage of picking projects, but at the beginning stages of hearing from First Nations leaders about how best to proceed.