National oil pipelines are dominating the conversation again. Canada has acknowledged the critical need to build major energy projects again. Politicians and energy proponents are speaking about pipelines long thought dead in the water. For instance, politicians are discussing Keystone XL and Energy East again. The new U.S. administration’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian goods has suddenly made Canadians realize our trade vulnerability and the importance of each of our countries to the other’s energy security. The United States is Canada’s largest oil and gas customer, after all.
Unfortunately, Indigenous communities and groups are not central to this conversation. That needs to change if we want Canadian energy moving again. In early February, federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson called on Ottawa and the provinces to weigh the need for new west-to-east oil pipelines. Whether he intended it or not, Mr. Wilkinson’s call excluded Indigenous communities from the conversation.
Consulting with Indigenous groups is no longer a choice any more because of the duty to consult and our collective commitment to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and its requirement of free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous groups. We have seen in the past how doing it wrong cost time and money.
It is a different time than it was 10 years ago, even five years ago, and we can be better at it this time around. Industry has aligned more closely with Indigenous communities; Indigenous workers are now more involved and equity participation, co-ownership and even co-governance are now options.
Indigenous ownership provides regulatory certainty to proponents as it ensures projects have deep Indigenous involvement and this ensures projects maintain community consent. We have learned many valuable lessons on the importance of engaging and involving Indigenous groups in pipeline and LNG projects, such as Trans Mountain and Coastal GasLink.
Canadian politicians can’t forget how much Indigenous resource sectors have grown over the last few decades and how much they contribute to the national economy. The oil and gas sector includes many First Nation, Métis and Inuit workers. Energy resource wealth is also now allowing Indigenous communities to build multi-generational wealth. Indigenous communities are big players in the pipeline and LNG business. These Indigenous workers and ventures can help Canada build the oil and natural gas projects it needs to get our energy to non-U.S. markets and build our national energy security.
In re-examining new east-west pipelines, Ottawa should make sure the provinces and territories are present. However, Indigenous reconciliation and UNDRIP mean Indigenous groups must be involved, too. If governments and proponents want pipelines and LNG projects built, they need to follow this.
These projects are in the backyards of Indigenous communities, so they require good faith consultation with Indigenous decision makers.
Indigenous communities and groups need to be ready as well for the national energy conversation. Indigenous governments need to make sure they have consultation protocols and policies in place with clear rules and timelines for the Crown and proponents. Indigenous communities need to select their decision makers now before proponents come knocking on their door. Or think about how they can become the proponent. When the Haisla Nation in British Columbia was seeking to build an LNG project, they went out and sought out a proponent to partner with, rather than the other way around.
First Nation, Métis and Inuit groups are already heavily involved in oil and LNG. Politicians and policy makers are realizing that natural gas is the future. Canada’s increased use of AI and data centres has drastically changed our collective power needs. Every country is now scrambling for LNG and Canada has plentiful supplies of it. The Russian invasion of Ukraine demonstrated how our allies such as Britain and countries in the EU need LNG. Canada can certainly answer that call if it works with Indigenous groups on ensuring these communities are engaged early and often in the discussion.
If Canada wants to ensure it obtains Indigenous consent that endures, it should now strongly consider equity participation, co-ownership and even co-governance in any energy agreement.
Ottawa and the provinces and territories need to include Indigenous communities in this new national energy conversation. Canada needs national pipelines, and the world needs our LNG. Canada must include First Nation, Métis and Inuit groups if they are to help Canada with its energy security problem in this time of trade conflict.
---
Featured in The Globe & Mail on Op-ed Section on April 4th, 2025 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-why-arent-indigenous-peoples-included-in-canadas-fresh-talk-of-energy/