Making the Council of the Federation More Effective

Making the Council of the Federation More Effective

(July 24, 2025 – Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver BC) Scott Clark, President of the Northwest Indigenous Council (NWIC) issued the following statement today:

“Council of the Federation meetings provide a forum for provinces and territories to engage in premier-to-premier discussions, share information and hash out a strategy for dealing with the federal government. The Indigenous component is largely cosmetic since Indigenous leaders don’t participate in the substantive discussions and as a result nothing is achieved for us.”

Under the Building Canada Act, the federal cabinet will now be able to fast-track approvals for major industrial projects sidestepping the duty to consult and accommodate. The motivation to speed up decision-making and go faster on Projects of National Interest (PONI’s) is counterproductive and inherently inconsistent with the principles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“This federal legislation is already headed to the courts and considerable mistrust has been generated with the aggressive process and lack of consultation with Indigenous organizations. It’s alarming that procedural safeguards and processes were not set out in the Act. We don’t have any assurance that they will be put in place,” said Scott Clark, NWIC President.

The federal cabinet will decide on PONI’s in two stages: 1) the project is in the national interest; and 2) issuance of a new federal authorization for the designated project. This will replace the need for all other federal permits, decisions and authorizations required under existing federal legislation. Litigation and conflict-affected situations will contribute to prolonged implementation delays for the PONI’s. Weak design issues during the policy formation stage will continue to result in shortcomings and difficulties – in particular with the federal duty to consult.

NWIC is based on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples – Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh. NWIC is working for seven generations into the future to enhance, promote, protect and foster the social, economic, cultural, health and well-being and rights of Indigenous peoples living off reserve in BC.

For more information, contact:
Scott Clark
604-417-0327