Oh yes, definitely. The difference in what LNG Canada did versus the projects before them was that even before they went through the environmental assessment process to apply for a certificate, they came to us. They talked to us. We laid out our concerns at a very high level, because that's what an environmental assessment does. They incorporated that into the environmental assessment process in their application.
When we got word back from the B.C. government asking us if we had any concerns about the application, we told them that it's already there, so let's get to the next step. After that, they'd do it under the permits they needed to explore their issues on the ground for the environmental assessment certificate. They came to us.
This is the value of a protocol with the proponent as well as a separate protocol with the government. Instead of just waiting for that permit to come through to our office to inform a referral, we'd always have our interests already addressed in the application itself. It saved a lot of time.
I know that companies spend a lot of time and money doing this, and I know the provincial government did the same thing, but it sure got us to the finish line a lot quicker. We were actually the main first nation to deal with. We had the shipping, the terminal and the pipeline all in our territory. Everybody else just had the pipeline or the shipping. Even the shipping was big.
I want to add something. In terms of the process with LNG Canada, it wasn't all left up to government, in our case. In some cases, it was up to us—the first nation—to reach out to other first nations that opposed the project and were only looking for benefits. We included them in our benefits under the umbrella of the IBA we signed, if they would actually sign on and support the project. This is a hands-on approach that has to be taken.
I know the Crown has the duty to consult and accommodate at the end of the day, but there are a number of different protocols that can help these projects along, in terms of best practices.