Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to complete my remarks, begun some months back, in support of the motion by my colleague, the member for Manicouagan. To reiterate, his motion calls on the government to submit natural resource development projects to a broader consultation with first nations and other citizens affected by such activities, and that public willingness be included as a measure of public interest. He is calling for a central voice for communities in decision-making, respect for commitments made to first nations, and assurance that the benefits of resource projects flow to the impacted communities.
Interestingly, just yesterday a joint first nations and federal government working group issued its final report, called “First Nations and Natural Resource Development Advancing Positive, Impactful Change”. This report urges Canada to eliminate socio-economic disparities by making resource revenue sharing with first nations a priority, and to involve first nations directly as participants in the regulatory processes, including project reviews, and the planning, design, management, ownership, and reclamation phases of all projects.
This working group was among pledges made by the Prime Minister more than two years back, when he promised to commit to a nation-to-nation relationship. I am pleased to note that the working group included Alberta Regional Chief Cameron Alexis, a highly regarded first nation leader in Alberta.
The recommendations echo those by the government-appointed special advisor on west coast energy projects, Douglas Eyford. His report determined that delays in major energy projects can be attributed, at least in part, to the failed efforts by the federal government to properly consult and accommodate first nations. The recommendations also mirror recent determinations by the Supreme Court of Canada, in particular its 2014 Tsilhqot'in decision confirming the fiduciary duty of the Crown to recognize and respect aboriginal title and to consult and accommodate their rights and interests.
In recent publicly held pipeline hearings in Alberta, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation was denied timely access to the environmental reports on a proposed bitumen pipeline. It was finally forced to pull out of the hearings because it was not given reasonable access to the document or a reasonable time period to review this major document regarding a pipeline that could potentially impact its traditional lands. Remarkably, the proponent claimed that it had absolutely no duty to assess impacts on these lands. The question is, where was the federal government, which has the fiduciary obligation to protect the rights and titles of first nations?
It is not just in federal review processes where the government has downgraded the reviews and downgraded federal environmental laws so that many impacts to the environment, first nations communities, and their health, peoples, lands, and waters are now not being considered. It is also happening in the provincial review processes, where the federal government is absent.
The ball is now in the court of the government to finally act to change policy, process, and procedure in accordance with these sound recommendations that have come forward. The courts, the Constitution, Canadian law, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples all clarify that the rights of indigenous peoples and other Canadian citizens are to be given a voice in resource decisions impacting their health, environment, lands, waters, or cultural practices. Regrettably, over the past decade, as I mentioned, the government has instead intentionally set about eroding those rights and opportunities and limiting first nations' and other Canadians' rights to participate in resource project reviews or design.
The special fund established under the MPMO in support of aboriginal consultation, recommended by Mr. Eyford in his report, which was commissioned by the government, sunsets this year. Even the funds that were previously set aside, where there was this great commitment two years ago to engage and help finance the constructive participation of first nations, are sunsetting. We do not know what will happen next because we are still waiting for the next federal budget.
There is a clear recommendation to the finance minister. Let us hope that the Conservatives not only bring back that fund, but substantially increase funds to deliver on the recommendations from Mr. Eyford and the government's own task force.
Last year, the Minister of Natural Resources, at an aboriginal minerals summit, apparently committed to better engagement of first nations. Yet, we discovered this week that he has done nothing but go across western Canada, insulting first nation leaders and their councils. This does not bode well for a new, positive, constructive nation-to-nation relationship. We can only hope for better.
We therefore anticipate, given all of the recent reports and undertakings, that we can expect unanimous support for this motion, and hopefully real concrete action.