Major projects bill amended to remove cabinet power to sidestep Indian Act
Global News
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Nepinak Woodhouse said Thursday the "limited changes" made to the bill don't go far enough.
The federal government’s major projects legislation was amended by opposition parties on Wednesday to withdraw the power the bill gave cabinet to sidestep the Indian Act, following weeks of criticism from First Nations leaders.
But Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Nepinak Woodhouse said Thursday the “limited changes” made to the bill don’t go far enough. She still wants the government to give members of Parliament more time to study the legislation.
The Liberal government’s controversial legislation, which would allow cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines, was introduced on June 6, and sailed through the committee study in about eight hours on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Amendments to the bill made in committee include removing the Indian Act from a list of laws the government can sidestep when determining whether a project should move forward.
Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval said in a media statement the change came from a sub-amendment his party posed, and that the Liberals did not vote in favour of it.
In French, Barsalou-Duval said he regrets that the Liberals didn’t vote for the amendment, but he is pleased it passed.
From the moment the bill was first discussed, First Nations leaders warned the bill could violate their constitutionally protected rights.
First Nations leaders also said Ottawa could face legal challenges, and its fast-tracked projects could be slowed down, if Indigenous communities are not meaningfully consulted.
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