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development in their territory — none of these pieces of legislation make any space for that,” King said.
‘Layer upon layer’ of approvals slows down projects, says advocate
John Desjarlais, executive director of the Indigenous Resource Network, an organization that advocates for workers, business owners and communities who support Indigenous inclusion in the natural resources sector, said he doesn’t see anything in the bill that is “designed to bypass rights.”
Rather, he said, the bill is an opportunity to respond to world forces while respecting constitutionally protected rights.
“We’ve never seen… government so willing and able to get to the table,” Desjarlais said.
Desjarlais said he’s heard signals from the government that Indigenous equity and ownership of infrastructure projects will be outcomes of the bill.
“There’s a strong assurance there, which means that these communities can use these source revenues to to self-determine and to reinvest in their communities on their terms,” he said.
In light of the many statements brought forward by First Nations groups, Desjarlais said, “I err on the side of that maybe there wasn’t enough [consultation].”
Because of historical circumstances where projects were pursued without proper or adequate consultation of Indigenous rights holders, Desjarlais said, the current approval system has become risk averse with many sets of approvals to go through.
“But this is where it becomes a little burdensome, layer upon layer upon layer,” he said.
The government has said the goal of the bill is to speed up the approvals process so that projects can complete federal review in under two years.
Desjarlais said when projects reach a point where “we know 90 per cent of what we need to know” then more consultation only slows down the process. At that point, he said, it’s OK for projects to move forward and then adapt later if needs arise.
Source: cbc
