Globe and Mail – Premier Brian Pallister unequivocally states that implementing UNDRIP would compound the havoc experienced by Canadian families and businesses caused by the uncertainty in securing clarity and predictability around Indigenous consultation and environmental approval processes”. In other words, the “new federal government legislation on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) is problematic. He references “thirty-eight” years of progress “on developing a coherent framework for how to respectfully consult and accommodate Indigenous concerns.”

Premier Pallister’s fundamental solution is twofold and is viewed through a colonial lens:

• A “well developed legal framework needs to be reaffirmed and reinforced”. i.e. one that excludes Indigenous legal traditions and practices
• Free, Prior and Informed Consent “would enshrine in Canadian law renewed public signals that are already encouraging veto-based demands, as well as illegal blockade actions – in defiance of court orders.” (i.e. what we want we get, what you want, you don’t”.

His underlying premise is that UNDRIP will undermine the legal, investment and regulatory cohesion that provide the foundations to advance Canadian society.