Minister says Indigenous advisory council just the start of major project talks

OTTAWA — The newly appointed Indigenous advisory council marks the start — not the end — of talks with community leaders on how to move the government’s major projects agenda forward, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said on Thursday

On Wednesday, 11 Indigenous leaders from across the country were named to the federal government’s new Indigenous Peoples’ Council tasked with advising the new federal body working to fast-track major infrastructure projects.

While First Nations, Inuit and Métis representatives were selected, some Indigenous groups, including the Southern Chiefs Organization in Manitoba, raised concerns about the makeup of the council and the lack of representation from their nations.

“Our province has the largest urban Indigenous population in Canada, yet our Nations are entirely absent,” Southern Chiefs Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said in a media statement.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew also pointed to the lack of First Nations representation from Manitoba on the council. He called the appointment of just one representative from the Manitoba Métis Federation a “missed opportunity.”

“Absolutely, the MMF is going to have a role as a Métis government, but the First Nations have to be given that opportunity to engage,” Kinew told a press conference in Winnipeg.

“Sometimes you tell your friends, ‘Hey, you know, I think maybe this thing could have gone a little differently.’ And in this case, I think that Indigenous advisory circle, or council rather, really could have benefited from having a voice from a Manitoba First Nation.”

Gull-Masty told The Canadian Press on Thursday the goal of the advisory council wasn’t to represent every nation, but to gather a variety of people with different backgrounds and perspectives to advise the government on how communities want to move forward with projects.

“This is a two-year appointment,” she said.

“It doesn’t mean that this is the only voice that is going to be at the table — there’s a lot of openness for discussion in the role that they’re going to play. I’m encouraged by what I’m seeing.”

The council was a promise the government made to Indigenous Peoples as it pushed through its major projects bill. The legislation triggered an outcry in many Indigenous communities, with many warning it could undermine Indigenous rights and push forward projects without fair consultation.

The law was passed, with support from the Conservatives, less than a month after it was introduced. It allows cabinet to fast-track federal approvals for big industrial projects the government deems to be in the national interest.

Gull-Masty said the council’s makeup is diverse, both in experience and opinions on how projects should move forward. She said one of the council members has “been a bit tough on the process and spoke a lot about trust at the summit.”

Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi of the Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, one of the 11 members of the advisory council, has expressed concerns about the bill. At a July summit with First Nations chiefs and the federal government, Mercredi said Carney had a “big job to do” to regain their trust.

“There’s somebody in the room that’s going to be echoing that we have to be hyperaware of relationships, of trust, or how we speak to people,” Gull-Masty said.

“I also know that the (major projects office) is very open for advice, for discussion, for followup.”

Whitecap Dakota First Nation Chief Darcy Bear, who was invested into the Order of Canada last year for his work on economic development in First Nations, was appointed to the council, along with Crystal Smith, the former chief of the Haisla Nation and board member of the First Nations LNG Alliance.

Other names on the council include JP Gladu, former president of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Businesses, and Lorne Pelletier, senior economic adviser for the Manitoba Métis Federation.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Thursday an expansion to the Port of Montreal and work to double liquefied natural gas production in B.C. are among the first five projects under consideration for fast-track approval through the federal government’s new major projects office.

“The proponents behind each of these projects have already done much of the hard work,” Carney told a press conference in Edmonton.

“They’ve undertaken already extensive consultations with Indigenous peoples, consultations that meet the standards of existing legislation.”

No Indigenous-led projects — such as the Nisga’a-owned Ksi Lisims LNG pipeline project — were chosen for the initial list.

Gull-Masty said not every project submitted for fast-track status had reached the required readiness level by, for example, securing financing or naming project proponents.

“The criteria for this first round was readiness — readiness to get to building things as quick as possible,” she said.

“There’s always opportunity,.”

— With files from Kyle Duggan in Edmonton

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press