Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): Canada’s new government is ready to get our country building major infrastructure projects again, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples. To that end, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, convened the Métis Major Projects Summit in Ottawa to discuss the Building Canada Act and hear from Métis leaders on how best to work together.
During the Summit, the Prime Minister and Métis leadership discussed how the Building Canada Act will enable Canada’s new government to build big things that will connect and transform the national economy – driving greater prosperity for Métis through equity ownership and resource management projects. They focused on how the Government of Canada and Métis leaders will work together to build these projects. To ensure effective partnership with Indigenous Peoples, the federal government is moving forward with several new measures, including:
- Standing up an Indigenous Advisory Council that will work closely with the new Major Federal Projects Office. Comprised of Métis, First Nations, and Inuit, as well as Modern Treaty and Self-Government representatives, the Advisory Council will help ensure Indigenous perspectives and priorities are integrated at each stage. Both the Major Federal Projects Office and the Indigenous Advisory Council will be operational by Labour Day.
- Dedicating $40 million in funding for Indigenous participation. From early discussions on which projects to prioritize to ongoing capacity-building, new funding streams will support the meaningful participation of Indigenous leadership in major projects.
- Expanding the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program. Canada’s new government has doubled the program to $10 billion, enabling more Indigenous communities to acquire full equity ownership of major projects. The government has substantially broadened the types of projects that are eligible for Métis equity participation through this financing from across the natural resource and energy sectors, from electricity generation to carbon capture, to critical minerals, and beyond.
The Prime Minister and Métis leaders affirmed their commitment to work together on advancing shared priorities.
Today’s Summit is built on previous meetings in recent weeks with First Nations and Inuit leaders in Gatineau and Inuvik, respectively. Collaboration will continue to further advance these conversations on a distinctions basis.
