Bill C-5, passed on the final day of the House of Commons’ first sitting under Prime Minister Mark Carney, has drawn mixed reaction from First Nations leaders, some who argue vehemently against it, and others who take a more sanguine view, saying it would benefit their communities in the long term.

 Bill C-5, titled An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility Act and the Building Canada Act, will, according to Carney, “remove (internal) trade barriers, expedite nation-building projects and unleash economic growth, with Indigenous partnership at the centre of this growth.” It also seeks to accelerate the approval process for projects considered to be in the national interest, reducing the time allotted for approval from five years to three.

On June 21, National Indigenous Day, the Prime Minister assured indigenous people that advancing reconciliation is a priority for the government. 

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“Supporting Indigenous communities, advancing self-determination, implementing treaties and creating generational wealth and prosperity are central to our commitment to advancing reconciliation. Through initiatives like the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program, we’re addressing the historical, systemic and economic barriers that have prevented Indigenous peoples from participating in — and benefitting from — economic opportunities, particularly in the natural resource sector,” he stated.

Some First Nations leaders aren’t convinced Bill C-5 will uphold this promise to advance reconciliation.

“Bill C-5 is deeply troubling and sets a dangerous precedent,” said Chief Rhonda Phillips of the Xatśūll First Nation of British Columbia in a press release. “Environmental assessments are not red tape — they are safeguards for our lands, waters and future generations. Bypassing these protections for short-term economic gain directly threatens Indigenous rights, ecosystems and sacred sites.”

The Indigenous Resource Network, however, an organization of First Nations and Inuit in the natural resources sector — hands-on, boots-on-the-ground entrepreneurs and workers in mining, logging, fishing, oil and gas and in supply chains supporting these industries — takes a more optimistic view.

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“It’s an opportunity for our people,” John Desjarlais, executive director of the network told The Catholic Register. “There’s a global market for resources, and Canada excels in resource development with sustainability and with responsibility towards the environment.”

Desjarlais’ optimism stems from the degree of trust he believes has been built between his people and the Canadian government over the last 10 years, noting Pope Francis’ 2022 penitential pilgrimage also had a role to play in rebuilding trust.

“I don’t see the same railroading of our rights as in the past,” he said. “There has been a degree of trust built between government and our people over the last 10 years and we want to build on this,” he said. “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s work did much work towards healing and building of trust. So did the visit of Pope Francis to Canada in 2022, so we need to move forward in good faith and a spirit of reconciliation.”

While acknowledging that fast timelines cannot replace consent and that long-term community buy-in is essential, Desjarlais said, “If we don’t build on this momentum, the world will move forward and leave us behind.”

In an article published in the Canadian Mining Journal in May, Desjarlais wrote: “A recent RBC study revealed that close to three-quarters of the 504 major resource and energy projects planned or underway in Canada run through or lie within 20 kilometres of Indigenous territories. The study also estimated Indigenous equity opportunities from these projects to be worth $98 billion over the next 10 years, with oil and gas projects representing $57.6 billion of that value.”

A poll conducted by Environics research four years ago on Indigenous support for natural resource development revealed that the majority of the people surveyed — 549 self-identified First Nations, Metis and Inuit living in rural areas or on reserves across Canada — expressed an urgent need to improve the quality of life in their communities. To achieve this, they indicated a desire for better access to health care, job opportunities from economic or resource development, opportunities to revitalize their culture through ceremonies and rituals and better governance.

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Desjarlais is hopeful these objectives can be achieved if Bill C-5 projects are implemented with the consent of the communities involved.

“Our people are struggling with incredible poverty,” he said. “The revenues that come from these projects that Bill C-5 aims at developing can be reinvested in health care, education, language and cultural heritage recovery — all of which are benefits for our people.” He added that these projects offer opportunities for what he called “economic reconciliation.”