PM's upcoming First Nations summit on Bill C-5 seems 'rushed,' say chiefs

More details have been shared about a summit between the federal government and First Nations chiefs planned for next week on the major projects bill, though some chiefs say plans for the summit seem as rushed as the legislation. 

Bill C-5's Building Canada Act fast tracks projects in the national interest. It was tabled, passed and received royal assent within a month and Indigenous rights holders have said they were excluded from much of the consultation process. 

A draft agenda for the July 16-17 meetings at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., leaked on social media, shows two speeches totalling 25 minutes from Prime Minister Mark Carney and an hour on Day 2 scheduled for a discussion with him. 

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) held a virtual meeting on Thursday where government officials shared details with chiefs about the upcoming summit. 

The AFN invited Christiane Fox, deputy clerk of the Privy Council, and Valerie Gideon, deputy minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, to attend the meeting.

The meeting was closed to the media. Video of the meeting was shared on the AFN's YouTube channel after it ended. 

The agenda for the upcoming summit is still being refined, Gideon said at the meeting.

She added that invitations had been sent out to all First Nations chiefs. As there are more than 600 First Nations in Canada, each First Nation will be able to send only one person to attend the event in-person. 

Tribal councils will be able to attend the event virtually, she added. 

Gideon said the government was looking at its ability to include other people, such as chiefs' support staff, virtually. 

At the AFN meeting, Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke Grand Chief Cody Diabo said the unfinished agenda — less than a week before the summit — is worrying. 

"This also feels a bit rushed as well. I mean, it's not fully planned out," he said.

'A slap in the face'

David Monias, chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba, said passing the bill before holding a summit is "putting the cart before the horse."

His community, along with much of northern Manitoba and parts of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and B.C., has spent the past month dealing with wildfires and evacuations. 

"Everybody's busy trying to save lives," he said. 

"To have a bill going to pass by us without even looking at us is really slap in the face because I haven't had a call from the prime minister saying, 'How are you guys doing?'"

Monias said he plans to attend the meeting in the capital region, although he's concerned about his advisors being able to participate. 

"I do represent my people, but my people also want to have a say in terms of what goes on and what's in the bill… because we have not even presented the bill properly in our community," he said.

He said the government needs to slow down and allow communities to consult with members to ensure informed consent is given and that the law aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

He is concerned about protections for forests which may be used for lumber, valuable minerals and water to power clean energy in his region.  

"These are our lands that have been destroyed right now by fire and they're the same resource that the government is going after," he said. 

The AFN will hold another meeting on Bill C-5 with chiefs during its Annual General Assembly Sept. 3-5 in Winnipeg.