Chief Darcy Bear, Whitecap Dakota, speaks during a ceremony where the Government of Canada delivered a formal apology to the 9 Dakota and Lakota First Nations in Canada in Whitecap Dakota Nation, Saskatchewan on Monday, July 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards
By Alessia Passafiume in Ottawa
Eleven Indigenous leaders from across the country were named to the federal government’s new Indigenous Peoples’ Council on Wednesday, tasked with advising the new federal body working to fast-track major infrastructure projects.
The federal government says the council will work with Indigenous Peoples to integrate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into government decision-making on major projects.
It’s creation was a promise made to Indigenous Peoples as the government pushed through its major projects bill, which caused an outcry in many Indigenous communities as people feared it could impact their rights and permit 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 quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects that are deemed to be in the national interest, including by sidestepping existing laws.
Trevor Mercredi, Grand Chief at Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, is among the 11 new members of the advisory council, and was one of the leaders who expressed concern about the bill. At a July meeting between First Nations chiefs and the federal government, Mercredi said Carney had a “big job to do” to regain their trust.
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“We came out here to assert our rights. We didn’t come out here to ask questions. We didn’t come out here to put our hands out. We simply came here to assert our rights and make sure that each and every person understands what they’re in for if they’re coming for our resources,” he said at the time.
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, is also among the council members.
Crystal Smith, the former chief of the Haisla Nation and board member of the First Nations LNG Alliance, was also named to the council. In a recent article, Smith said that Canada’s trouble getting major projects built over the last decade was due in large part to not engaging fully with Indigenous communities to understand their interests.
Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers opening remarks at the Liberal caucus in Edmonton on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken
Seven council members are from First Nations, two are Inuit and another two are Métis.
In a news release announcing the council, Prime Minister Mark Carney said partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and nations are going to be critical to moving his major projects agenda forward, and that the insights provided by the council will help ensure prosperity for Indigenous communities.
Ottawa says the members of the council “were selected based on their expertise and knowledge of major projects, Indigenous rights, and the regulatory space.”
The council will meet at least four times per year in-person, with virtual meetings to be held “as required.”
Assembly of First Nations Yukon Regional Chief Kluane Adamek was also named to the council, where she serves as the portfolio holder for climate change and the environment.
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JP Gladu, who previously served as the president and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Businesses, similarly secured a seat, along with Lorne Pelletier, the senior economic adviser for the Manitoba Métis Federation.
Dawn Farrell, the former Trans Mountain executive who was named CEO of the office last month, said in a statement “their expertise and advice will be critical to ensuring that projects of national interest are built fast, built right, and built in a way that creates real opportunity and prosperity for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.”
One Indigenous group who didn’t secure representation in the council spoke out Wednesday evening, saying their exclusion undermines reconciliation and weakens the nation-building projects the government is seeking to progress.
“As the government of the Métis Nation within Alberta, representing the largest Indigenous population in Canada, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government must be included on the Indigenous advisory council to reflect the vital and historic role our citizens have played, and continue to play, in building Canada,” said President Andrea Sandmaier of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, which represents Métis in Alberta.
“We have supported Canada’s economic agenda in good faith, including through our participation in the Canada-Métis Summit and discussions on the Building Canada Act. Now, we need to see that commitment reflected through the meaningful inclusion of Alberta Métis in decisions that directly affect our citizens.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2025.
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