Donna Kennedy-Glans: First Nations are stalling small projects, sidelining other stakeholders – National Post
May 18, 2026
First Nations, backed by consultation rules and UNDRIP-inspired policies, are delaying or derailing modest community projects
One unhappy First Nation makes headlines.Canadians broadly support reconciliation with First Nations. As Prime Minister Mark Carney often reminds us, we accept the constitutional duty to consult on large-scale nation-building projects — oil and gas pipelines, new mines, and port expansions. But a troubling pattern is spreading: a single First Nation’s objection to more mundane local decisions — usually framed around inadequate consultation or cumulative environmental impacts — now lands in small-town newspaper headlines and can delay or kill modest community projects.
