Regulations hurt Indigenous workers and Indigenous LNG growth
January 8th, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Calgary, AB – Today, the Indigenous Resource Network (IRN) submitted an online response to the federal government’s draft emissions cap regulations. The Network did this through participating in the government’s 60-day online consultation period that ended today.
The Indigenous Resource Network (IRN) carefully reviewed the federal government’s draft oil and gas sector emissions cap regulations. The Network also submitted a policy brief with its online submission outlining its main concerns with the proposed regulations.
After much consideration, the IRN is convinced the federal government should not proceed with its final regulations. However, if the government continues down this path, the Indigenous Resource Network insists, at a minimum, the government exclude projects with Indigenous involvement and/or ownership from the cap.
The IRN opposes the emissions cap regulations first and foremost because they would unjustifiably and disproportionately harm Indigenous workers and businesses in the oil and gas sector. At least three independent studies confirm these regulations will impact upstream conventional oil and gas producers especially, as well as limit new LNG projects.
Smaller upstream operations employ a high number of Indigenous workers. These producers will have to curb production as they lack resources to mitigate the impact of the cap. The government’s cap will hurt the families and communities of resource workers. These resource workers come from communities that depend on these jobs and operations to build multigenerational wealth and an economic future.
Indigenous communities that have negotiated historic LNG projects will also suffer needlessly by the cap. Moreover, production cuts on the backs of Indigenous workers harm efforts at Indigenous economic reconciliation achieved through Indigenous ownership.
The IRN finds it puzzling the federal government chooses to on the one hand to help Indigenous oil and gas producers with a loan guarantee program and then on the other proposes to harm them by limiting their growth. The IRN is also deeply concerned this regulatory framework is unconstitutional. The Indigenous Resource Network is concerned the government developed these regulations through inadequate and selective Indigenous consultation. We also believed these draft regulations contradict the government’s commitment to respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
- 30 -
For further information or media inquiries, please contact:
Joseph Quesnel, External Relations Coordinator
[email protected] or 902-995-0057