Assembly of First Nations national chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says Prime Minister Mark Carney must not limit debate and consultations on the Building Canada Strong Act.
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The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is warning Prime Minister Mark Carney against what she calls “abusing” his majority government powers to move forward with a new major projects bill that could affect First Nations rights.
The bill is called the Building Canada Strong Act. According to the reporting, it would shift responsibility for reviewing many large-scale projects—such as pipelines and power transmission lines—from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to the Canada Energy Regulator.
The proposed change would alter how certain federal reviews are handled, with the Canada Energy Regulator taking on responsibilities previously associated with the impact assessment process. For First Nations communities, that shift is part of a broader concern about how consultation and rights are recognized within project approvals.
The bill also proposes changes to the Canada Labour Code, expanding the scope of the legislation beyond environmental or regulatory review frameworks.
Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said Carney’s government risks dishonouring the Crown if it limits opportunities for debate and consultations on the legislation. Her warning is rooted in concerns that First Nations input may not be adequately addressed if the government relies heavily on its parliamentary majority to advance the bill.
The chief also argued that Carney must allow First Nations leaders to bring forward amendments to the legislation and that the government must be open to those amendments. Her comments emphasized that amendments and consultations should be available as part of the legislative process rather than treated as secondary.
The report notes that the warning compares the current approach to how Carney’s government handled its previous major projects legislation in 2025. Woodhouse Nepinak’s position suggests that she views past steps as an indication of how the government might treat debate and consultation again.
Federal ministers defending the bill have said the legislation is meant to speed up construction of major projects and boost employment. Those comments place the legislation within a wider political argument about labour and economic priorities.
The ministers’ rationale is also tied to the country’s changing trade relationship with the United States, which they describe as part of the context for major infrastructure development.
For Canadians watching federal infrastructure decisions, the dispute highlights an ongoing tension between efforts to streamline approvals and concerns about how those changes affect consultation responsibilities and First Nations rights. The Building Canada Strong Act is now positioned at the centre of that debate as Parliament considers how project reviews and related labour measures should be structured.
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