Carney promises Coastal First Nations no new projects in BC without indigenous consent

On his way from Ottawa to Beijing, Prime Minister Mark Carney stopped in Prince Rupert to sit down with Coastal First Nations leaders.Among other things, he promised that no new projects would be green-lit in British Columbia without First Nations' consent.."We wanted to reiterate that any time there is a discussion about our territories that we need to be in the room," Coastal First Nations President Marilyn Slett said, "and that it is very important to us that the prime minister see our territories and understand our concerns."She went on to explain that Carney told First Nations Ottawa will "will seek our free, prior, and informed consent regarding any proposed projects in our territories," and that they will "co-develop a transparent process moving forward.""We are looking forward to partnering with the federal government to help facilitate projects in our territories that support sustainable economic development and marine protection," Slett continued. "We also made our positions very clear, and reiterated those positions on our stance regarding the oil pipeline and that that has not changed.".According to Slett, Coastal First Nations, Lax Kw'alaams, and the Haisla Nation "oppose any project that proposes to bring oil tankers to the North Coast" given that "there is no technology that can clean up an oil spill at sea."In addition to the aforementioned promise, Carney "committed to renewing funding for the Oceans Protection Plan Reconciliation Framework Agreement in 2026-27 and directed ministers to work with all the RFA partners to present a five-year funding pathway by this spring."He also "reaffirmed the government’s commitment to conserving 30% of Canada’s land and waters by 2030, including working with First Nations on identified Marine Protected Areas in the Great Bear Sea" and vowed to "fund a Marine Traffic Risk Assessment study, extend the leases on two Emergency Towing Vessels until 2028, and ensure ETV capacity is consistent with shipping activity."It should be noted that while there are numerous First Nations on BC's North Coast, Coastal First Nations itself is a Vancouver-based NGO that was initially funded by American anti-oil foundations. Donors included the Tides Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

Carney promises Coastal First Nations no new projects in BC without indigenous consent

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