Courts hold one victory, one loss for Fort Chipewyan First Nations – Northern Journal

January 12, 2015

Two legal battles based in treaty rights and consultation produced very different results for two First Nations in Fort Chipewyan in December 2014.

The Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN) emerged victorious in its court case against the federal government over the lack of consultation on the sweeping legal changes couched in omnibus Bills C-38 and C-45, passed in 2013.

The Federal Court ruling found that Ottawa should have consulted the First Nation from northern Alberta before passing the two bills, which contained massive changes to environmental laws impacting everything from water to wildlife.

The two omnibus bills, which changed legislation on protection of waterways, fisheries laws and the environmental assessment process in order to “streamline” regulatory approval of resource projects, drew enormous criticism from First Nations and helped spark the Idle No More protest movement.

Read More: http://norj.ca/2015/01/courts-hold-one-victory-one-loss-for-fort-chipewyan-first-nations/