National News
Chief Darcy Bear speaks during a ceremony in Whitecap Dakota Nation, Saskatchewan on Monday, July 15, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards
Ottawa names Indigenous advisory council on major projects
Published 2:55 PDT, Wed September 10, 2025
—
Eleven Indigenous leaders from across the country have been named to the federal government's new Indigenous Peoples' Council, tasked with advising the new federal body working to fast-track major infrastructure projects.
The federal government says the council will work with Indigenous Peoples to integrate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into government decision-making on major projects.
Among the 11 leaders named to the council is Whitecap Dakota First Nation Chief Darcy Bear, who was invested into the Order of Canada last year for his work on economic development in First Nations.
Crystal Smith, the former chief of the Haisla Nation and board member of the First Nations LNG Alliance, was also named to the council.
Seven council members are from First Nations, two are Inuit and another two are Métis.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and nations are going to be critical to moving his major projects agenda forward, and that the insights provided by the council will help ensure prosperity for Indigenous communities.
– Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
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