Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) Minister of Natural Resources, Dean Gladue, Region 7 Director and Minister of Skills Training, Employment, Post-Secondary (STEPS), Paulette Flamond, and MNBC technical staff, participated in the Leadership meeting for Alberta and BC Métis in Edmonton, Alberta on February 7th, 2023.
The Canada Energy Regulatory (CER) is hosting several meetings with Indigenous Nations and organizations to enhance Indigenous Peoples’ involvement in the CER’s oversight and compliance activities for the Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) pipeline system through co-development.
This was the first Métis Leadership engagement session to help determine a new path forward for this co-development process. It included Métis leaders from both BC and Alberta. For Minister Gladue this session was vital for renewing relationships “This is just the beginning of a new chapter in reconciliation. Article 18 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that we have the right to participate in decision-making in matters which would affect our rights, through representatives we select, in accordance with our own procedures, as well as to maintain and develop our own decision-making institutions”.
Minister Flamond commented “This is just the very beginning for us in a long process. We will ensure that we are not left out of future opportunities, whether they are economic, training, or monitoring. We want to make sure that the work is done is a meaningful and sustainable way for our communities and future generations”.
Minister Gladue added that “It is worth highlighting that engagement in these processes, and with regulators and proponents, does not equal endorsement. That will require an in-depth consultation process. Participating in these meetings is a way for us to build relationships with regulators and other Indigenous participants. It is crucial that we bring the voice of Métis from BC forward”.
The CER has stated that they are committed to Reconciliation and the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. MNBC looks forward to continuing these important discussions and actively participating in the advancement of the Co-development of the NGTL System-wide Indigenous Collaborative Mechanism.