Carney’s rapid-build push splits Indigenous communities over resource projects
Mar 14th 2026
Mark Carney is racing to build major resource infrastructure to boost economic sovereignty, but the plan is heightening splits among Indigenous nations over consultation, rights, and environmental impacts.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney has created a Major Projects Office to fast-track 10 mega-projects worth about 116 billion Canadian dollars.
- Projects include two LNG plants, an open-pit mine in British Columbia, a nuclear plant in Ontario, a Quebec shipping terminal, and Atlantic wind power.
- Opinion polling shows broad public support for Carney’s approach to defending Canada’s economy against US pressure, with 50 percent approving his handling in one recent survey.
- Many Indigenous leaders and communities say consultations have been inadequate and warn their constitutionally protected rights may be sidelined.
- Some First Nations and industry groups back the projects for jobs and revenue, citing treaty rights or partnership agreements in specific cases like the Nisga’a and Ksi Lisims LNG.
- Experts warn that lack of broad Indigenous consent could trigger legal challenges, slow approvals, and undermine legitimacy of projects.
Articles
- How Carney’s ‘build fast’ push divides Canada’s Indigenous peoples www.aljazeera.com
- How Carney’s ‘build fast’ push divides Canada’s Indigenous peoples www.aljazeera.com