To my understanding, one of the concerns for the first nations--it wasn't peculiar to CEMA--is their frustration with being recognized as an order of government, that they are first nation. For example, in the Clean Air Strategic Alliance, there are three sectors--government, industry, and NGOs. The first nations and Métis representatives added are clearly there as government.
Is it your understanding that part of their frustration is they don't feel they should have to sit and reach consensus with industry or with the provincial government? It's not that they may not think there's some useful research, and so forth, that goes on, but rather that they have a problem with the process. They argue that they have an overriding constitutional right to be consulted and accommodated, and that they should not have to pare back their demands through negotiation and consensus with industry and the provinces.