Key Takeaways
- The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) warns that federal “building faster” and “one project, one review” reforms threaten First Nations jurisdiction, environmental safeguards, and the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).
- Grand Chief Kyra Wilson emphasizes that First Nations support development only when it respects Treaty rights, laws, and responsibilities to protect land, water, and future generations.
- The proposed changes would centralize decision‑making, rely more on provincial processes, shorten review timelines to one year, allow consolidated federal approvals, create economic zones that bypass separate reviews, and permit construction before impact decisions are finalized.
- AMC calls for a Treaty‑centred, tripartite process with First Nations as full decision‑makers from the outset, legally binding First Nations‑led impact assessments, and an immediate halt to any reforms that weaken federal oversight or First Nations consent.
- The organization stresses that repeating past colonial patterns will lead to conflict, environmental harm, litigation, and further erosion of trust between First Nations and the Crown.
Introduction and Context
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) is reiterating long‑standing concerns it has raised with the Government of Canada through submissions, correspondence, and public statements regarding the federal government’s “building faster” and “one project, one review” approach to major project approvals and impact‑assessment reform. In a statement released on May 8, 2026 from Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, Manitoba, the AMC warns that the proposed changes risk weakening First Nations jurisdiction, environmental protections, and meaningful consultation in favour of accelerated approvals and investor certainty. The organization stresses that these reforms are not isolated policy tweaks but part of a broader agenda that could reshape how major developments are reviewed across Canada.
Grand Chief Wilson on Development and Treaty Rights
Grand Chief Kyra Wilson articulated the AMC’s position, stating, “First Nations are not opposed to development. Our Nations want to be part of Canada’s economic future,” but she added a crucial qualifier: “development cannot come at the expense of our Treaty rights, our laws, or our responsibilities to protect the lands and waters for future generations.” This framing makes clear that while First Nations are open to economic participation, they insist that any development must be grounded in respect for existing Treaty obligations and the inherent authority of First Nations to steward their territories.
Overview of the Proposed Federal Reforms
Canada’s proposed reforms—including measures such as Bill C‑5 and the broader “one project, one review” agenda—aim to centralize decision‑making, reduce independent oversight, rely more heavily on provincial processes, and create pathways for projects or economic zones to move ahead before affected First Nations have had a meaningful opportunity to exercise jurisdiction or provide Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). By streamlining approvals, the government seeks to increase investor certainty and shorten timelines, but the AMC argues that these objectives come at the cost of diluting the constitutional and Treaty‑based rights of First Nations peoples.
Critique of the Canada–Manitoba Cooperation Agreement
The AMC notes that First Nations leadership already called for a reset on this approach following the signing of the Canada–Manitoba Co‑operation Agreement on Environmental and Impact Assessment earlier this year. Both the AMC and the AFN Manitoba Region warned that the agreement was developed without meaningful First Nations involvement and urged a Treaty‑centred, tripartite process grounded in First Nations jurisdiction and consent. The lack of substantive engagement in crafting the agreement exemplifies the very exclusionary practices the AMC seeks to dismantle.
First Nations as Governments, Not Mere Consultants
Reiterating a long‑standing demand, Grand Chief Wilson declared, “First Nations have been clear and consistent: we must be at the table as governments, not consulted after decisions have already been made.” She emphasized that the Treaty relationship requires a Treaty‑centred approach grounded in respect for First Nations jurisdiction and consent. This statement underscores the AMC’s view that genuine partnership cannot be achieved through perfunctory consultation after policy directions are set; instead, First Nations must be recognized as equal decision‑making partners from the outset.
Repeating Colonial Patterns Through Streamlining
The AMC has consistently warned that so‑called “streamlining” measures repeat the same colonial patterns First Nations have challenged for generations: decisions made without First Nations, development imposed without consent, and regulatory systems designed around the interests of governments and industry rather than Treaty relationships and First Nations laws. By accelerating approvals and reducing the space for Indigenous input, the reforms risk recreating historic injustices where economic priorities override Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship.
Specific Measures Raising Alarm
The proposed reforms would: shorten review timelines to one year; expand substitution and harmonization with provincial regimes; allow consolidated federal approvals; create federal economic zones that could bypass separate project reviews; and permit certain construction activities before impact decisions are finalized. Each of these measures reduces the time and opportunity for First Nations to conduct their own assessments, assert jurisdiction, or withhold consent, thereby shifting the balance of power decisively toward proponents and federal authorities.
Speed Versus Treaty Obligations and Environmental Stewardship
The AMC says these measures raise serious concerns that Canada is moving toward a system where speed takes precedence over Treaty obligations, environmental stewardship, and First Nations consent. While acknowledging that First Nations must be included in major project development and economic growth, the AMC insists that participation cannot come at the expense of First Nations’ responsibilities to protect lands, waters, medicines, wildlife, sacred sites, and traditional ways of life. The tension between expeditious approvals and the duty to uphold Treaty rights lies at the heart of the organization’s objection.
Call for Legally Binding First Nations‑Led Impact Assessments
The AMC is also calling for legally binding First Nations‑led environmental and cultural impact assessments with equal authority in project decision‑making processes. Such assessments would ensure that Indigenous knowledge, legal traditions, and cultural values are weighed on par with scientific and economic analyses. By granting these assessments decisive influence, the AMC seeks to embed First Nations jurisdiction directly into the approval framework rather than treating it as an advisory add‑on.
Demand to Halt Reforms and Engage as Equal Partners
The AMC is calling on Canada to halt any legislative or regulatory reforms that weaken federal oversight, undermine First Nations jurisdiction, or reduce meaningful opportunities for participation and consent. It further urges the government to work directly with First Nations governments as equal partners in any future reform process. This demand reflects a broader insistence that reconciliation must be substantive, not symbolic, and that any changes to impact‑assessment regimes must be co‑developed with the nations whose rights are at stake.
Historical Lesson and Warning Against Repeating Mistakes
Grand Chief Wilson concluded with a stark reminder: “History has already taught us what happens when governments place speed ahead of rights and respect.” She warned that the result is conflict, litigation, environmental harm, and further erosion of trust between First Nations and the Crown. The AMC contends that moving forward by repeating the mistakes of the past will only deepen divisions and jeopardize both ecological integrity and the prospect of genuine nation‑to‑nation relationships.
About the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) was formed in 1988 by the Chiefs in Manitoba to advocate on issues that commonly affect First Nations in Manitoba. AMC is an authorized representative of all 63 First Nations in Manitoba, representing more than 172,000 First Nations citizens—approximately 12 percent of the provincial population. The organization encompasses a diversity of Anishinaabe, Nehetho/Ininew, Anisininew, Denesuline, and Dakota Oyate peoples. For further information, contact the AMC Communications Team at [email protected].