(Lheidli T’enneh Territory, Prince George, BC) – Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, is being forced through the House of Commons without adequate discussion or consultation with First Nations, directly violating Canada’s own UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and constitutional obligations. It would give the cabinet extraordinary powers to approve major projects by the stroke of a pen, ignoring all other legislative and regulatory obligations. This seriously jeopardizes the progress we have made on environmental protection, democratic oversight, and in particular, First Nations rights.
“The Crown needs to follow its own rules when it comes to major projects, including respecting and implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration is now law in Canada, but C-5 would enable the cabinet to ignore the basic human rights enshrined in it in favour of the so-called national interest,” said Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the BC Assembly of First Nations. “Respecting First Nations rights is in the national interest. Protecting the environment is in the national interest. Democratic oversight is in the national interest. Cabinet overreach is definitely not in the national interest,” he continued.
This is another example of a Crown government exploiting the crisis in the relationship with the United States to concentrate power. We saw the BC government do this with Bill 15 and the Ontario government with Bill 5. Now, Bill C-5 will do the same at the federal level for any project the cabinet deems to be in the national interest. The legislation defines the national interest to include a number of factors, including advancing the interests of Indigenous peoples – without even asking First Nations what those interests might be.
“This is a step backwards in the relationship between the federal government and First Nations,” said Regional Chief Teegee. “Just a few years after making the UN Declaration national law, the federal government is giving itself the authority to define what is in First Nations' interests. The Trump administration will be gone in four years, but the damage this bill will do to First Nations rights and environmental protections will last for generations. This isn’t crisis response, its opportunistic authoritarianism,” he continued.
The BCAFN has set up a tool for Canadians to send a message to their MPs and senators. To ask your parliamentary representatives to support First Nations rights, please go to bcafn.ca and click the link in the yellow bar at the top of the page.