(Lheidli T’enneh/Territory/Prince George, BC) - Chiefs from all across Canada gathered in Gatineau this week to dialogue with Prime Minister Carney, Ministers, and the Privy Council Office on their risks, concerns, and opposition to the One Canadian Economy Act.
In response to the tariffs imposed by the Trump presidency in the United States, the Canadian Government under the new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, have hurriedly passed the One Canadian Economy Act. The Act provides wide-sweeping Ministerial powers to approve and fast-track large industrial projects deemed to be in the national interest in the absence of adequate protections and provisions to ensure that the rights and title of First Nations will be respected.
BC Chiefs met on July 15th prior to gathering to develop a unified position on the risks posed by the One Canadian Economy Act. In light of the Federal Government's failure to make adequate and timely progress towards implementing the United Nations Declaration Act, alongside key Action Plan Measures directly related to the One Canadian Economy Act, the BCAFN is issuing a statement of unity reflecting the concerns raised by Chiefs in BC:
As the First Peoples of these lands and waters now known as Canada - we stand firmly united in opposition to any Crown representative, legislation or policy that infringes our inherent, Treaty and constitutionally protected rights as protected and affirmed by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Our rights, title and interests within our respective territories are non-negotiable. Honouring and upholding our free, prior and informed consent is not only an ethical and moral imperative, it is a legally binding Crown obligation and the only viable path to advancing true reconciliation and a strong, unified Canadian economy that benefits all. The articles of the UN Declaration represent the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the world’s Indigenous Peoples. Canada has an obligation under the United Nations Declaration Act to bring all federal legislation into alignment with the UN Declaration. The Government of Canada has been put on notice: with or without you, First Nations will continue to exercise, assert, and implement our rights within our territories. We will exhaust every avenue necessary to ensure the federal government fully respects its own laws and upholds our legal orders. We call on your government to stand in unity with First Nations across Canada and firmly commit to fully upholding First Nations’ free, prior and informed consent within the One Canadian Economy Act.
“The BCAFN is calling upon all First Nations to join us in this call,” stated Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the BCAFN. “Canada must be made aware that if they want to enact such far-reaching legislation that conflicts with their own commitments, legal obligations and UNDA legislation, that First Nations are prepared to stand up for our human and inherent rights. Without adequate protections, First Nations will bear the burden of this hastily developed, opportunistic plan to fast-track potentially devastating projects over First Nations territories, and doing so will be to the detriment of our lands, territories and future generations.”
The majority of Chiefs in BC remain concerned about the lack of transparency, accountability and commitment to the protection of their Nations rights, especially when held against the lack of progress on the implementation of the UNDA, the postponement of the associated Annual Report, the delayed implementation of critically related Action Plan Measures and the rushed development of the Act which which contravened the UNDA alongside the principles and standards of the UN Declaration. Chiefs in BC have recently passed resolutions related to the Act, including First Nations Summit Resolution #0625.14, Union of BC Indian Chiefs Resolution 2025-24 and BCAFN Board of Directors Motion 2025.06.13.03, which opposes the Bill and calls for full consultation, coordinated strategy and alignment with the UN Declaration. If this Act is to be saved, and if Canada is to avoid costly legal battles, Prime Minister Carney will need to make substantive and concrete commitments to legislative, regulatory and policy protections to ensure the standards of the UN Declaration are upheld.