Carney Meets With Inuit Leaders to Discuss Major Projects

Prime Minister Mark Carney is continuing his efforts to secure support from indigenous peoples for his major projects bill, meeting with Inuit leaders in the Northwest Territories on July 24.

Carney discussed the Building Canada Act in a meeting with the Inuit-Crown Partnership committee, co-chaired by Inuit leader Natan Obed. He also talked about child care funding and the future of Canada’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) resources during the meeting in Inuvik, the third largest community in the territory.

“The act fully respects treaty rights, including modern treaties,” Carney said at the meeting, where he was joined by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Minister of Natural Resources Tim Hodgson, Minister of National Defence David McGuinty, and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.

“What the act does is it creates conditions for the federal government to be more effective and efficient in our part of the partnership,” said Carney. “For too long, the attitude in Ottawa has been ‘why should a project be done?’ as opposed to, in response to initiatives and requests for projects, ‘how can we help the project to move forward?’” 

Obed said Carney has shown he is “willing to work with the Inuit” and said he’s confident of success if the federal government and the Inuit can “meet in the middle” despite many challenges that need to be worked through.

Carney said his government will form an indigenous advisory council with the major projects office that will include Inuit representation, adding that Ottawa will offer “full equity ownership participation financed up to $10 billion” with the Inuit in any project approved under the major projects bill.

The prime minister has said the major projects office will open by Sept. 1 to consider projects deemed in the national interest. Approvals are to occur within a two-year timeframe.

Carney said Ottawa will provide more than $40 million to help stakeholders prepare and work on proposals, pointing to opportunities in developing “new ports, critical minerals, transportation” and “dual-use infrastructure.” 

He also said security in the northern region is important due to “new threats that have emerged, physical threats, virtual threats, tangible threats.” He pointed to a $6 billion investment in Arctic security including upgrades in Canada’s patrols, radar, and defence footprint in the region. 

“Alongside that diplomacy, we are working closely with the Arctic Council. We are appointing our new Arctic ambassador,” Carney added. “We’ll discuss that today and make that announcement over the course of today.”

Carney also said he sees significant potential in working with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in developing LNG resources so the federal government can “help facilitate” its projects and ideas.

“We see for Canada a role in full partnership with the Inuit with rights-holders, I’m saying that because I’m here, but also with First Nations rights-holders, tremendous opportunities in LNG,” Carney said, citing the Cedar LNG project in British Columbia, which is developed in partnership with the Haisla Nation. 

Carney met with First Nations leaders on July 17 in Gatineau, Que., to discuss the Building Canada Act adopted through Bill C-5, saying he would put indigenous communities at the centre of decisions.

Nine Ontario First Nations are currently asking for a court-ordered injunction against both Bill C-5 and Ontario’s major projects legislation formerly known as Bill 5. They say both laws allow the provincial and federal government to “unilaterally ram through projects without meaningful or any engagement with First Nations.”