The We'suwet'en First Nation is fighting the Coastal GasLink pipeline project, which would stretch nearly 700 kilometres across northern B.C. through their unceded land.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, receive a “hongi,” a traditional Māori welcome, from Māori elders on the lawns of Government House in Wellington, New Zealand in October 2018. In New Zealand, Māori elect members to parliament from designated Māori constituencies – and the right to participate offers more than the ‘duty to consult’ in Canada.
(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
In New Zealand, sovereignty is disputed, but the Maori case for sharing it with settlers underscores the limits of First Nations consultation in Canada.
Chief Archie Waquan responds to the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on whether the government has a duty to consult Indigenous people on legislation.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken
Rather than the duty to consult, governments should proactively engage with Indigenous treaties or other locally relevant treaties, agreements, laws and relationships at all stages of law-making.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University