A new federal bill aims to approve projects faster. What would that mean for consultation in Nunavut?

Emma Tranter · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 12, 2025 9:37 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

A caller national measure aims to fast-track large infrastructure projects, but immoderate successful Nunavut interest it could mean much improvement with little consultation. 

The One Canadian Economy Act, introduced past Friday, volition velocity up the support process of large infrastructure projects — reducing support times from 5 years to two. 

It besides introduces a "one-project, one-review" attack alternatively of having national and provincial support processes hap sequentially.

Nunavut has its ain process to measure large projects done the Nunavut Impact Review Board, which is protected nether the Nunavut Agreement. 

"They cannot fast-track thing without a robust strategy that ensures that First Nations, Inuit and Métis bash springiness our free, anterior and informed consent," said Lori Idlout, the NDP MP for Nunavut. 

Idlout said she's acrophobic astir however the federal authorities volition velocity up the process to o.k. large projects portion inactive fulfilling the duty to consult. 

"I don't deliberation there's a anticipation for them to spell manus successful hand," she said. 

Idlout also said Indigenous radical inactive request to beryllium astatine the forefront of immoderate conversations astir development, particularly successful Nunavut. 

"We request to guarantee that they are heard. They are the ones who cognize the land, they cognize the migration," she said. "It's the hunters and trappers organizations whose voices need to beryllium amplified astatine this time."

No changes expected, reappraisal committee says 

Dionne Filiatrault, enforcement manager of the Nunavut Impact Review Board, told CBC successful an email that she doesn't expect overmuch to alteration if the authorities passes. 

"The Nunavut Agreement already establishes what we telephone a 'one model approach' but successful essence is successful enactment with a 1 project, 1 appraisal approach," Filiatrault wrote. 

She besides said existent proponents of large Nunavut projects walk a batch of clip moving with the reappraisal committee and different bodies "to optimize the process anterior to submission of application."

"At this clip I americium not foreseeing immoderate changes to the NIRB processes," she wrote. 

Land usage program needed

Former Nunavut premier and existent pb Arctic specializer for the World Wildlife Fund Paul Okalik said Nunavut's biology reappraisal authorities is robust.

"The statement is constitutionally protected and our rights are hard-earned and it was a hard bargain," Okalik said. "It took a agelong clip and it can't conscionable beryllium overwritten by immoderate 1 person in this country."

Okalik besides said having a land usage program for Nunavut successful spot volition help. A draught program was submitted successful 2023 and inactive hasn't been approved. 

The program sets retired which areas of the territory are unfastened for improvement and which are protected. It besides tells developers wherever projects, similar mines, volition beryllium allowed and nether what conditions. 

"That would intelligibly place the issues successful play, similar areas that are important to the communities, successful peculiar being protected, and different areas being unfastened for development," Okalik said. 

In the lack of a plan, the reappraisal committee process acts arsenic a stopgap measure, but it's not ever effective, Okalik said. 

"It has been interaction and go. So depending connected immoderate fixed day, it tin enactment successful favour of the communities and Inuit. On different time it could beryllium going the different way. So it's truly uncertain astatine this clip fixed the lack of immoderate onshore usage plan."

Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok said he's pushed for enactment connected respective large infrastructure projects, including the Grays Bay Road and Port and the Kivalliq Hydro Fibre Link. 

Even so, Akeeagok said, those projects request to impact radical connected the ground. 

"All the projects that we enactment successful was truly from the lens of making definite that these are  being led by Inuit, for Inuit. That truly volition person a immense payment not lone for the territory but for the country," Akeeagok said. 

For its part, the national authorities said it volition uphold the work to consult and impact Indigenous communities done a caller national projects office, it said successful a quality merchandise astir the bill. 

That bureau volition see an advisory assembly with Inuit, First Nations and Métis.