Thoughts on BC Politics and More

The federal government’s new law designed to fast-track major projects has put the true meaning of UNDRIP’s “free, prior and informed consent” provisions under the spotlight. At the core of the issue is a simple question: does “consent” mean an Indigenous veto over projects, even those in the public interest?  While the prime minister and his justice minister have tried to walk a delicate line to avoid making that commitment, British Columbia has gone all-in on the veto approach. Under the auspices of BC’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act, Premier David Eby has admitted that provincially significant projects on Crown land will not be expedited under its own fast-track law without the consent of Indigenous groups. At the same time, an effective veto is already being written into a growing number of agreements with Indigenous groups covering vast swaths of the province ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Two weeks ago I described the apparent coordination of Ontario and B.C. to get on board with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s vow to speed up resource industry project approvals. Both provinces are legislating a fast track for their selected projects, particularly mines. In BC’s own mineral-rich 'golden triangle' in the northwest, the Tahltan, Taku River Tlingit and Kaska Dena First Nations stood with Premier David Eby’s call to build on the long-awaited success of two new mines in the region. Eby’s major speech to announce the new era promised that his plan would include “providing certainty and timeliness for investors,” as well as removing federal-provincial duplication, protecting the environment, speeding things up, and doing it all in partnership with indigenous people. We’ve now seen the first two substantive announcements, and they both look like setbacks ... CLICK HERE for the full story