Developing, sustaining strong relationships crucial for Indigenous consultation in mining: lawyers – Lexpert
Sep 09, 2024
In 2024 and beyond, the mining sector in Canada has evolved into a situation where the industry must do more than contract with impacted Indigenous groups for specified economic benefits. Lawyers say it is essential that miners forge and maintain highly communicative and culturally integrated relationships to sustain the social license for long-lasting projects.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRCC) Call to Action #92 calls on businesses operating in Canada to apply, as a “reconciliation framework,” the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to operations involving Indigenous peoples, their lands, and resources. This involves a commitment to “meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent.” It also involves ensuring that Indigenous people achieve “long-term sustainable benefits for economic development projects,” including through “equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities.”
