Tom Mulcair: The federal major projects steamroller could run roughshod over everything from Indigenous rights to health

Detailed summary

The federal government’s major projects steamroller is about to flatten timelines. It could also run roughshod over everything from Indigenous rights and human health to water quality and migratory birds, writes former federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair.

Tom Mulcair served as leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 2012 to 2017. He is a political commentator for CTV News and a columnist for CTVNews.ca.

The federal government’s major projects steamroller is about to flatten timelines. It could also run roughshod over everything from Indigenous rights and human health to water quality and migratory birds.

So far, the public appears very much on side with this rapid development agenda. But how much acceleration is too much? Will unbridled development, from mines in southern Quebec to offshore oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean, compromise the rights of future generations?

I was recently invited to take part in the annual Regent Debate organized by the C.D. Howe Institute. I love debates and this one had as its theme a very timely question about the current federal Indigenous consultation framework and whether it is an impediment to economic prosperity.

As you might expect, I argued against the proposition. The debate itself was truly informative. Two of the participants, Tabatha Bull and Crystal Smith are highly respected First Nations women who argued from different sides.

Their deep mutual respect was evident, and I think that’s one of the beauties of a formal debate: participants invariably show a great deal of deference for the opposing point of view while staking out their own position. It’s a respectfulness that helps the core issues come through to those observing.

Tabatha Bull and I were on the same side but it was clear from the start that there was agreement among all of us about the frustratingly glacial pace of the current processes.

Sonya Savage, a former Alberta environment minister and I (a former Quebec environment minister) rounded out the field from the political side. Having lived them firsthand, we both agreed on the need to remove as many bureaucratic hurdles as possible. Where we disagreed was on shortening the Indigenous consultation with strict timelines imposed from outside.

In my view we are…

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