Question Period Note: All-in Support for Major Projects

N.A.

• Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) supports major projects, particularly those that create opportunities to foster inclusive growth, strengthen infrastructure, advance reconciliation, and prioritize Indigenous leadership and long-term economic and community benefits.

• Through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative, ISC will work alongside the Major Projects Office to ensure Indigenous Peoples are supported to participate in consultation processes and share in the potential economic benefits resulting from projects.

• Alongside projects of national interest, we must continue to advance the diverse interests of Indigenous partners, extending beyond economic benefits.

Major Projects and National Interest Projects

The Building Canada Act, which received Royal Assent on June 26, 2025, streamlines the approval process for major projects deemed to be National Interest Projects.

Once listed as a National Interest Project, expedited impact assessment and regulatory processes will ensue, informing a list of conditions about how a project will proceed, to be issued by the Minister Responsible for National Interest Projects.

ISC may play a supporting role in consultation on whether a project should be listed as a National Interest Project and ISC is obligated under the Impact Assessment Act to provide specialist or expert information or knowledge to inform project assessments. ISC input at each phase of the impact assessment is publicly posted on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry and addresses project effects to the health, social, and economic conditions of Indigenous peoples.

Authorizations under the Indian Act may be required for projects, or portions of projects, on reserve lands; as the Indian Act is exempted under the Building Canada Act, the Minister of ISC will retain the authority to issue these authorizations, and does so only at the direction of the affected First Nation. ISC will only rarely take on this role, as major projects are typically not carried out on reserve lands.

First Nation Oil and Gas Management and Proposed Regulatory Changes

Indian Oil and Gas Canada is a Special Operating Agency within Indigenous Services Canada that manages and regulates oil and gas resources on designated First Nation lands across Canada.

Oil and gas companies are required to comply with the Indian Oil and Gas Act and the Indian Oil and Gas Regulations.

Indian Oil and Gas Canada is collaborating with the Indian Resource Council to update the environment, surface contract, and pipeline closure sections of the Regulations.

A consultation draft of the proposed changes is expected to be released in mid- to late-2025.

Historic and Future Oil and Gas Liability Management

Indian Oil and Gas Canada is currently requiring surface contract holders to undertake abandonment, remediation, and reclamation when their surface contract is not being used for its intended purpose.

Approximately 2,770 known orphan, suspended, and legacy, inactive or without a responsible owner wells are located on First Nation lands across Canada including 16 in British Columbia, 1,655 (~60%) in Alberta, 819 (~30%) in Saskatchewan, 1 in Manitoba and 279 (~10%) in Ontario.

If pressed on the Building Canada Act and projects of national interest

• The Government of Canada is strengthening the economy by advancing major projects in the national interest and ensuring Indigenous Peoples benefit from these project-based opportunities.

• ISC has been engaging with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis leadership on the Building Canada Act through three distinctions-based summits held over the summer and ongoing follow-up discussions.

• An additional $40 million over two years, through ISC’s Strategic Partnerships Initiative, supports Indigenous communities’ engagement and consultation on major projects, to ensure their voices are heard and respected. If pressed on current major projects

• The Government of Canada supports transformative Indigenous-led initiatives like Cedar LNG, the world’s first Indigenous majority-owned LNG project. It sets a precedent for Indigenous ownership in natural resource development and reflects our commitment to inclusive, sustainable growth.

• Naawi-Oodena, Canada’s largest First Nation-led urban economic zone, empowers Treaty One Nations to shape their future through housing, business, and community development. With federal support, it exemplifies reconciliation in action, fostering self-determination, economic opportunity, and lasting prosperity for First Nations and all Manitobans. If pressed on Impact Assessment and Regulatory Processes

• The Government of Canada understands the importance of reviewing major projects in a timely and rigorous way, to support economic development, uphold environmental protections, and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples.

• ISC will participate in project reviews along established timelines, providing expertise that informs how a project proceeds.

• Consultation with Indigenous peoples will continue through these phases to ensure projects advance the interests of Indigenous peoples and respects their rights. If pressed on First Nations Oil and Gas Management

• The Government of Canada supports sustainable economic growth and responsible oil and gas development on designated First Nation lands.

• Indian Oil and Gas Canada (IOGC) regulates these activities and requires companies to meet environmental, abandonment, and reclamation obligations.

• The Government of Canada is updating regulations to strengthen environmental protection, surface management, and pipeline closure and will share a consultation draft when available.