First Nations denounce Pacific Link national-interest listing over consultation gaps

Hours after Prime Minister Mark Carney listed the Pacific Link West Coast oil pipeline as Canada’s first project of national interest, First Nations along the proposed route said the federal process short-circuited consultation and treaty obligations.

The Coldwater Indian Band, whose Nlaka’pamux territory near Merritt, B.C., would see a third Trans Mountain corridor through the Coldwater Valley, said it is considering “court or other action.” Vice-Chief Michael Smithers told APTN the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate “remains unfilled,” arguing Ottawa offered industry speed and certainty while leaving unfinished business on the original Line 1 reserve easement. A consultation summary cited by APTN said Indigenous groups were given about two months — extended from one after pushback — and decried missing project information.

Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Chief Sheldon Sunshine said free, prior and informed consent “is not achieved through loan guarantees or conditions,” warning that rushing the listing to appease Alberta’s separatist politics had encouraged litigation instead of collaborative decision-making. West Coast Environmental Law said listing before environmental assessment means the live question is how, not whether, the taxpayer-backed line and tanker project proceeds.

In Fort McMurray, Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith framed Pacific Link as a sovereignty and jobs play: equal Canada–Alberta ownership, a minimum 10 per cent Indigenous ownership offer financed by loan guarantees, up to one million barrels a day of non-U.S. export capacity, and Major Projects Office conditions targeted for Sept. 1, 2027. The PMO said more than 130 Indigenous communities were consulted during the listing phase and that the Crown remains committed to its duty to consult through the review.

Sources: APTN News; Prime Minister of Canada.