During a panel at the National Coalition of Chiefs (NCC) Energy and Natural Resources Summit in Calgary on Friday, Premier Danielle Smith discussed the Alberta government’s approach to engaging indigenous communities in major resource projects, including potential bitumen pipelines.“Once we reach a point where a bitumen pipeline is potentially agreed to by the federal government, engagement must begin immediately,” Smith told panel moderator Gary Mar, president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation.Smith described a briefing she received from Minister of Indigenous Relations Rajan Sawhney earlier in the day, detailing the approach that she will take once her government “gets to a point where a bitumen pipeline is potentially agreed to by the federal government.”“We have a few steps that we need to get there, but we know that in announcing [this] we've got to engage right away,” Smith stated, revealing that in preparing the briefing, Sawhney found that many past legal judgments regarding the energy sector found “indigenous consultation to be lacking.”“In the case of Trans Mountain, one of the issues that created additional problems was the impact on the orca population... We don’t want to miss details like that,” Smith said..Michael Binnion calls for reconciliation and collaboration at NCC Energy Summit.She noted differences between Alberta and BC in indigenous leadership structures, pointing out that Alberta’s treaty framework simplifies negotiations compared with BC, where non-treaty lands create more complexity.“There's an entirely different approach that we have to take when it comes to negotiating in BC, and part of [it] begins with finding the host nation that would be willing to work with us,” Smith said.“There’s no way we can meet ambitious timelines without a model that involves First Nations from the start, ensuring they have an equity stake and that issues are addressed upfront,” she said.The premier’s comments come at a time when strong opposition from West Coast First Nations groups to pipeline projects in their territories and the BC tanker ban continues.On Thursday, Marilyn Slett, President of Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative, reiterated her organization’s stance against crude oil pipelines and tankers in the Great Bear Sea off the North Coast of BC, supporting recent comments made by Premier David Eby.“There is no support from Coastal First Nations for a pipeline and oil tankers project,” Slett said in a statement.She emphasized that nation-building efforts should focus on projects with strong First Nations consultation that promotes economic diversification.“No one has talked to us about a proposed project, and there is no proponent or project that would be acceptable to us that would bring oil tankers into our coastal waters.”
