Assembly of First Nations rejects Carney’s one-year deadline for nation-building project approvals

CALGARY — The Assembly of First Nations is pushing back against Prime Minister Mark Carney’s attempt to accelerate approvals for major “nation-building” projects, warning that fixed timelines could undermine indigenous consultation and consent.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the Assembly told parliamentarians that a legislated one-year approval deadline would pressure federal officials to shorten consultations or conduct important discussions when they may not be legally enforceable.“A legislated one-year cap creates de facto pressure to truncate consultations or to shift meaningful engagement to periods where it may lack enforceability,” the Assembly wrote.The organization described strict deadlines as “a departure from honourable conduct.”The comments appeared in a submission to the Senate national finance committee titled Study on matters related to the duty to consult. The report followed the Assembly’s July 14 annual general meeting in Ottawa.“Canada’s aggressive legislative agenda premised upon the acceleration of federal infrastructure project review without due regard for free, prior and informed consent demonstrates the need for robust, effective and rights-grounded processes that move from consultation to consent,” the submission said.Parliament passed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act, on June 26, 2025. The legislation gives cabinet the authority to designate industrial developments as being in the national interest and accelerate their approval.The Senate passed the bill after cabinet imposed a July 1 deadline for it to become law.The Assembly said the handling of Bill C-5 failed to meet the federal government’s obligations toward First Nations.“Bill C-5 illustrated a departure from honourable conduct,” the submission said. “Canada must ensure First Nations are at the table when decisions are made, that consultation is meaningful and substantive, that adverse impacts are identified and mitigated and that free, prior and informed consent is sought.”.MORGAN: It's time to defund the Assembly of First Nations.The Assembly did not specify what action it could take to stop Ottawa from fast-tracking a project under the legislation.It nevertheless argued that any attempt to accelerate federal project reviews must be developed in partnership with First Nations.“Any legislative or policy reforms to accelerate project review must be developed in genuine partnership with First Nations,” it wrote.The Assembly also called on cabinet to preserve enough time for communities to study proposed developments, participate in consultations and conduct First Nations-led assessments.Ottawa must “preserve adequate time and information for meaningful consultation and the exercise of free, prior and informed consent and safeguard rather than diminish existing opportunities for First Nations to exercise jurisdiction through First Nations-led assessments and participation in federal impact assessment processes,” the submission said.Attorney General Sean Fraser previously told reporters that First Nations do not have an absolute veto over major energy developments, including pipelines.“It stops short of a complete veto,” Fraser said. “That is not necessarily a blanket veto power but of course we’re in new territory here.”Fraser later apologized following protests from the Assembly. He said he had not intended to “paint a false picture of indigenous people as being anti-development somehow.”

Assembly of First Nations rejects Carney’s one-year deadline for nation-building project approvals

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