Métis excluded from consultation on provincially regulated projects in Alberta – CBA

Alberta is home to the largest Métis population in Canada – more than 96,865 people – and is the only province with a Métis land base entrenched in provincial statute.1 Still, the Government of Alberta does not have a Métis consultation policy. This omission is significant, as the vast majority of energy-related projects, including in the oilsands, are provincially regulated.

According to the Alberta Consultation Office website, “Alberta recognizes a duty to consult with some Métis communities when Crown land management and resource development decisions may adversely impact their traditional uses.”2 The province says it has an internal process to guide consultation with Métis communities on a case-by-case basis where it considers there to be a credible assertion of Métis rights.3 In practice, the provincial Crown does not proactively include Métis communities, even the land-based Métis Settlements, in the consultation plans it directs industry project proponents to follow. Nevertheless, some resource companies will engage potentially affected Métis communities, while other companies will do no more than is mandated by provincial policy.

Read More: http://www.cba.org/cba/newsletters-enews/2015-articles/2015-08-metis.aspx?utm_source=cba&utm_medium=email