By Rosemary Godin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Cape Breton Post
MEMBERTOU: Membertou First Nation’s long-time Chief Terry Paul is among the first people appointed to a powerful, new Indigenous Advisory Council promised through the recently passed Building Canada Act (Bill C-5).
The announcement of 11 Indigenous leaders from across the country was made by Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this month.
The legislation, passed in June enables the government to streamline federal approval processes to get major projects built faster. According to its supporters, these projects will better connect the Canadian economy, diversify industries, access new markets and create high-paying careers, all while protecting Canada’s rigorous environmental standards and upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Partnership with Indigenous Peoples is central to the Bill’s stated mission. As a result, in August, the government formed a Major Projects Office (MPO) to serve as a single point of contact to get major, transformative projects built faster. Key to that mandate is consultation with Indigenous communities and leaders across Canada.
‘INTEGRATE INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES’
Membership of the Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) will provide expertise and advice to ensure major projects consult and empower First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and create greater opportunity, security, and prosperity for their communities.
“Canada is stronger when we work together,” says Carney. “The Indigenous Advisory Council will help us ensure our processes and projects integrate Indigenous perspectives and priorities at each stage, as we build the strongest economy in the G7.”
Paul is the only representative of the IAC east of Quebec. With 41 years as chief of the urban First Nation, he holds one of the most impressive success stories in present-day Canadian Indigenous fiscal history.
“Joining Canada’s Major Projects Office Indigenous Advisory Council is both an honour and an opportunity to incorporate the rights and interests of Indigenous Canadians for the future,” Paul said when contacted by the Cape Breton Post. “Building strong communities builds a strong country. When everyone has the chance to come to the table from the outset, great benefits happen.”
Paul’s record over the last 41 year speaks for itself: land base has tripled in Membertou; employment rates are above 80 per cent; graduation rates are 95 per cent and the First Nation has grown – and continues to grow – into a hub for business and community-focused living.
Paul led the 2021 acquisition of the giant corporation, Clearwater Seafoods, for $1 billion. In 2024, Membertou acquired 50 per cent of New Dock in St. John’s, N.L.
Paul was appointed to the Order of Canada and is a recipient of the Frank McKenna Leadership Award and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is a member of the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame and holds honourary doctorates from Cape Breton University, Dalhousie University, and Mount Allison University.
Members of the IAC have been appointed for an initial two-year term. They will meet a minimum of four times a year in-person, with other virtual meetings held as required.
“The new members of the Indigenous Advisory Council will make sure the voices of First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Modern Treaty and Self-Government partners are represented in decisions that impact them. Their experience and advice will be critical to advancing major projects in the spirit of true partnership,” said Dominic LeBlanc, minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One He is a member of the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame and holds honourary doctorates from Cape Breton University, Dalhousie University, and Mount Allison University.
FIRST FIVE PROJECTS ANNOUNCED
Recently, Carney announced the first five major projects to come under the direction of the Major Projects Office. He refers to them as “nation-building projects.” They are: LNG Canada Phase 2, Kitimat, British Columbia; Darlington New Nuclear Project, Bowmanville, Ontario; Contrecœur Terminal Container Project, Contrecœur, Québec; McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project, East-Central Saskatchewan; and Red Chris Mine expansion, Northwest British Columbia.
Also, under consideration for the future and including Nova Scotia is the Wind West Atlantic Energy project. Having the support of the Tim Houston government, it will leverage over 60 GWs of wind power potential in Nova Scotia and more across Atlantic Canada, connecting renewable, emissions-free energy to Eastern and Atlantic Canada and meet rapidly growing demand.
Meaningful consultation with Indigenous Peoples is embedded in the Building Canada Act, which honours Section 35 of Canada’s Constitution. It also upholds the government’s commitment to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including free, prior, and informed consent.