Prime Minister Mark Carney said he will hold summits with indigenous leaders as a first step after the Liberals’ major projects bill was adopted, in a bid to address the concerns of stakeholders around the approval of projects.
Speaking to reporters on June 20 shortly after Bill C-5 passed, Carney said full-day summits will be held with First Nations on July 17 in Ottawa, to be followed by meetings with Inuit leadership in “late July,” and with Metis leadership “soon thereafter.”
Several indigenous groups have raised concerns that Bill C-5 could potentially weaken existing requirements related to indigenous consultation and environmental protections.
Bill C-5 aims to remove federal impediments to interprovincial trade barriers, while also speeding up the approval and development of major projects that align with national interests, following consultations with the provinces, territories, and indigenous stakeholders….