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Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
The Provincial North is the centrepiece of Canadian nation-building
Ken Coates is the senior fellow for the Provincial North, and Charles Cirtwill is the president and CEO, at the Northern Policy Institute. Not for the first time in Canadian history, the vast sub-Arctic area known as the Provincial North holds the key to the country's economic future. This time, we need to get it right. For generations, Canada and its provinces have capitalized on the resource wealth of the Provincial North, returning surprisingly few benefits and considerable dislocation to the people living there. The country got rich on Northern development and was propelled to sustained prosperity by it in the post-Second World War era. But it was a prosperity enjoyed almost exclusively by regions outside the Provincial North. This approach must be reordered, and quickly. This new phase of development must be North-centred, prioritizing prosperity in the regions most affected, and include comprehensive Indigenous engagement. To a degree that Canadians have long since forgotten, it was this region, stretching from Newfoundland and Labrador to Northern British Columbia, that sustained the commercial fur trade that solidified Britain's hold on northern North America. Much of Canada's current prosperity continues to stem from the Northern parts of its provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador contributes the Voisey's Bay nickel mine and the Churchill Falls Generating Station. Hydropower from Northern Quebec supports the provincial treasury and economy. Ontario has long counted on Northern mining and forestry operations to underpin provincial prosperity, while hydropower and mining projects in Northern Manitoba, uranium mining in Northern Saskatchewan, oil sands and natural-gas extraction in Northern Alberta, and natural gas and forestry operations in Northern B.C. all support their respective provincial economies, and Canada's prosperity at large. The Provincial North's population belies its importance, with fewer than two million Canadians residing in the area. It has a large Indigenous population and, reflecting well-established socio-economic patterns in Canada, many of the poorest communities in the country. Poorly planned projects following the Second World War left serious ecological and social scars across the region, undermining regional confidence in economic planning and the unreliable promises of developers. The Provincial North has rarely held significant political power. The regions are largely subservient to provincial capitals. But the federal election of 2025 transformed the political calculus of the Canadian sub-Arctic. The Liberal Party won seats in Labrador, Northern Quebec, Northern Manitoba and Northern Saskatchewan, and three out of five seats in Northern Ontario. Predictably, the Liberals were shut out in Northern Alberta and Northern B.C., although the election of Conservative Ellis Ross in Skeena-Bulkley Valley in B.C. brought another highly influential Indigenous leader into the House of Commons. The Provincial North, for the first time, has a political presence of real substance. Northern representation in federal cabinet could lead to better outcomes, two territorial premiers say But the authority goes further. Rebecca Chartrand (representing a Northern Manitoba riding) is now the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs; Mandy Gull-Masty (representing a Northern Quebec riding) is the Minister of Indigenous Services; Patty Hajdu (who resides in Thunder Bay, Ont.) is Minister of Jobs, and Buckley Belanger (from Northern Saskatchewan) is Secretary of State for Rural Development. Rebecca Alty, from the Northwest Territories, is Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Ms. Chartrand and Ms. Hajdu are also in charge of the federal economic development agencies for Northern Canada and Northern Ontario, respectively. The Provincial North has, for now, cabinet authority that matches the region's future economic importance. Proposed development projects in the Provincial North feature prominently in the national conversation. A bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast is the most controversial – and economically important. Extending northern-corridor development through to the coast of Hudson's Bay includes a region-changing proposal for a gas pipeline from Southern Manitoba. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also pushed for the development of the province's Ring of Fire and defends the idea of a deep-sea port in James Bay. To this list can be added numerous major mining projects, the upgrading of the Hudson Bay Railway to the Port of Churchill, Man., and various road and energy proposals. The 'sleeper' in the development package, championed by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, is the suggestion that Canada make a commitment to elevating infrastructure in Indigenous communities. Many communities in the Provincial North have substandard internet, water services, fire protection and roads, to say nothing of the most serious shortcoming in the region: housing. While not a traditional megaproject, a collective commitment of this nature could well form part of a 'grand bargain' that secures Indigenous support for resource and infrastructure plans. If Prime Minister Mark Carney's ambitious and still ill-defined plan for national economic renewal has a chance of success, the next decade will clearly be shaped by the development of the Provincial North. The people of the Provincial North should be clear winners in this endeavour, or Canada will be the loser.
Cision Canada
19-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
We're back!! Indigenous Prosperity is Here To Stay
, /CNW/ - We're back. Collectively, Indigenous people are now an economic power to be reckoned with. The statistics show as much: the $56 billion that Indigenous businesses add to the Canadian economy each year, or tens of billions in assets held by Indigenous economic development corporations. What brings it home for me though are the people. This past May, at the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association's (NACCA) sixth annual Indigenous Prosperity Forum, I looked around the room at all the young Indigenous business owners attending. The youth were confident, ascendant. Digital creators, artisans, carpenters, business managers: all these young people have assumed their place in the broader economy, just as their ancestors intended. And the youth also saw their responsibility to give back to their communities—all the more where they benefit from the same rights that their parents and grandparents fought hard to reclaim in prior generations. Make no mistake: those rights have driven our re-empowerment. Indigenous people have won almost every case involving resource rights we have brought before the courts. Governments at every level will recall this if they try short-circuiting our rights to expedite approvals for major resource projects. Indigenous leaders are again reminding them of our treaties and their constitutional obligations. Federal and provincial governments say they want to move as swiftly as possible. They can do so only by involving our leaders—early and often. We've already shown that Indigenous people are business-minded, yet our bottom-line also involves responsibilities to our communities and our lands. So why not work with us to ensure we can meet them? To succeed, a major project on Indigenous land will need to rest on three pillars: equity partnerships, impact benefit agreements, and resource revenue-sharing with governments. First, major projects need to bring in economic development corporations as equity partners, to ensure that communities also have a stake in a project's success. Second, the conclusion of Impact Benefit Agreements will help ensure that local economies can also benefit from jobs and contracting opportunities. Third, Crown parties will need to share their government resource revenues with the governments of impacted communities, who will need to steward their territories long after the projects have ended. As an additional crucial measure, Canada also should include an Indigenous member to the federal selection committee for major projects. One thing is certain: we are back. We're an economic force, and we're not going away. The upcoming cohort of youth entrepreneurs is strong, smart, committed—an inspiration to other youth in our communities as they reclaim their pride and self-reliance. Canadian historian Professor Ken Coates framed it well at the Indigenous Prosperity Forum: "the work being done now is building a Canada for 2050 and 2075. Indigenous prosperity is imminent, and it's been an honour to watch the transformation." Indeed, it's been an honour to watch. Now let's transform Canada's economy together. About NACCA NACCA, the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association, is a network of over 50 Indigenous Financial Institutions (IFIs) dedicated to stimulating economic growth for all Indigenous people in Canada. These efforts increase social and economic self-reliance and sustainability for Indigenous people and communities nationwide.
Canada Standard
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Canada Standard
First Nations Angered at Being Elbowed Out as Provinces Fast-Track Projects
Donald Trump's 51st State threats may have Canadians advocating for a more #ElbowsUp approach to strengthening the economy, but Indigenous people are concerned they're being elbowed out of the way by some elected leaders. New legislation to fast-track infrastructure projects in British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia has Indigenous organizations questioning the provinces' commitment to reconciliation. They say the push to accelerate project approvals risks violating treaty rights and undermining Canada's 2021 law to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Indigenous people need to be involved early in the process, Ken Coates, program chair for Indigenous governance at Yukon University, told the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN). "The government is already sending out the agenda and deciding what the priorities are going to be." Coates added that the federal government's promise to render decisions on major projects within a two-year timeline was unrealistic, given there are "hundreds and hundreds of Indigenous people-First Nations, Metis, Inuit-and they are very different." In this week's Speech from the Throne-written by the Prime Minister's Office and read by King Charles III-Mark Carney's newly-elected government promised faster approvals for major infrastructure as a top priority. The speech also pledged up to $10 billion in loan guarantees for Indigenous communities to gain ownership in large projects. But First Nations leaders warn that unless governments at all levels honour treaties and uphold the UNDRIP principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), they risk triggering protests, blockades, and litigation. UNDRIP requires governments to involve Indigenous people in a way that is "free from manipulation or coercion, informed by adequate and timely information, and occur(s) sufficiently prior to a decision so that Indigenous rights and interests can be incorporated or addressed effectively as part of the decision-making process." A wave of unprecedented moves to strip environmental protections, skip Indigenous consent requirements, and give governments more power is uniting Indigenous people across Canada, much the way Trump's threats united Canadians. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government is yielding to some First Nation demands by amending its controversial mining bill to include duty to consult provisions throughout, reported The Canadian Press. Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, is being reviewed and almost certain to pass with the majority government. It revises or repeals a number of other laws, including the Ontario Heritage Act, the Mining Act, and the Endangered Species Act, among others. Prior to news of the coming amendment, Chiefs of Ontario First Nations opposed the bill in a statement and said they wanted it immediately withdrawn so that meaningful consultation with First Nations could begin. APTN News reported the bill creates "special economic zones," exempt from many laws and regulations, a move being viewed by many Indigenous peoples as an attack on First Nations lands, rights, and legal agreements with the Crown. After testifying at the standing committee reviewing the bill, Indigenous representatives spoke to reporters from a lectern with the message "Our rights are not for sale." That language echoed Ford's baseball cap slogan, popularized prior to this year's provincial election, with its message that "Canada is not for sale." "Ontario is trying to legislate us out of the conversation," Chief Shelly Moore-Frappier of the Temagami First Nation said of the original bill. "They are about to learn what happens when a nation has nothing left to lose and everything to defend." The amendment to Bill 5 would create a new category of zones, adding in "special Indigenous economic zones" at the request of First Nations for projects they want fast-tracked. But Indigenous peoples across Canada fear that special economic zones are being considered by other provinces and at the federal level, Chief Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, told the news conference. He predicted "conflict on the ground," adding that First Nations will do "anything and everything that will make this government listen to us," reported the Toronto Star. In British Columbia, First Nations leaders said proposed legislation to fast-track resource projects would likely lead to "conflict, protests, and litigation" unless the government engaged with First Nations on potential amendments. Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, was tabled May 1 by Premier David Eby's New Democratic government, which holds a narrow majority in the legislature. The Globe and Mail reported that Eby hoped to pass the bill by the end of the month, promising "none will be built without First Nations' consent-and financial benefits." In a statement, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), said the province did not consult or cooperate with First Nations in developing the bill and didn't follow its own rules for aligning with UNDRIP. "While we support the Province taking action to counter Trump's erratic behaviour, such action must be principled, respect First Nations' basic human rights, and be done in consultation and cooperation with First Nations," said Phillip. BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee called the bill "overreaching" in the statement, adding that "it enables the Province to bypass permitting processes and expedite environmental assessment for any project they deem a priority." According to the Globe, Eby "was forced to apologize in person" to the First Nations Leadership Council of the UBCIC. Eby has since said that if First Nations oppose a particular project, his government will look to other proposals. The Nova Scotia Assembly of Mi'kmaw Chiefs told the legislature's natural resources committee this week that Indigenous communities should not be hearing about important developments, including policy or legislative changes proposed for the mining sector, from the evening news, CBC News reported. Chief Tamara Young of Pictou Landing First Nation said her community has serious concerns about recent decisions, including the adoption of legislation lifting the province's ban on hydraulic fracturing and rescinding a prohibition on uranium mining. Bill 6, An Act Respecting Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources, was tabled February 18 in the Nova Scotia legislature by Premier Tim Houston's Progressive Conservative supermajority government. It became law on March 25 and the First Nations backlash was immediate. The Halifax Examiner reported that a letter signed by Chiefs Carol Potter, Cory Julian, and Tamara Young said it was "unacceptable that this government is fast-tracking the extraction of natural resources that will permanently devalue and damage our unceded lands and adversely impact the exercise of our Section 35 rights." Section 35 of Canada's 1982 Constitution Act protects Aboriginal and treaty rights. Source: The Energy Mix
