Line Wide Gathering 2025 Summary Report
Press Release
March 9, 2026
We are deeply grateful to the Elders, Knowledge Keepers, youth, and leaders from the 129 impacted Indigenous communities and organizations and Governments who joined the 2025 Line Wide Gathering. Their presence, voices, and wisdom grounded the event and guided our shared work.
This 8th Annual Line Wide Gathering was held in October 2025, on Treaty 7 Land, which includes the Blackfoot (Niitsitapi) Confederacy (Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, the Stoney Nakoda (Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations), and the
Battle River Territory of the Otipemisiwak (Métis) Government.
We express our gratitude to the IAMC-TMX Committee, its Subcommittees, and the Line Wide Gathering Planning and Agenda Design working groups, whose leadership, collaboration, and dedication shaped the design and
success of this year’s Gathering. The conversations and connections made throughout the two and a half days will continue to shape the future of the IAMC-TMX, Indigenous-led oversight and decision-making in Canada.
We extend our thanks to our federal partners who helped plan and host the Gathering, and whose collaboration was central to its success: Natural Resources Canada (through
the Nòkwewashk team), the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), Transport Canada (TC), Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), Environment and
Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Health Canada.
We also recognize the contributions of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), whose ongoing partnership and expertise continue to strengthen
the Committee’s oversight and monitoring work.
We were honoured to be joined by Professor Frank Vanclay and Dr. Philippe Hanna from the University of Groningen; Alan Ehrlich, Mark Cliffe-Phillips, and JoAnne Deneron from
the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board; and Tanya MacIntosh from the Mackenzie Valley Land
and Water Board. Their experience and insights enriched the Gathering and deepened our shared learning.
Finally, we thank Cando, the funding delivery partner and event planner for the Line Wide Gathering,
and TidalCo: (formerly Tidal Strategies) for its role in organising and facilitating the event.
Acronyms
APM Action Plan Measure
CEPA Canadian Environmental Protection Act
CER Canada Energy Regulator
CIRNAC Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
ECCC Environment and Climate Change Canada
FM Filing Manuals
FPIC Free, Prior and Informed Consent
HC Health Canada
IAAC Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
IAA Impact Assessment Act
IAIA International Association for Impact Assessment
IAMC Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee
IK Indigenous knowledge
IMARs Indigenous Ministerial Arrangements Regulations
ISC Indigenous Services Canada
MVRB Mackenzie Valley Review Board (formally MVEIRB, Mackenzie Valley
Environmental Impact Review Board)
NEB National Energy Board (now the Canada Energy Regulator)
NRCan Natural Resources Canada
OPR Onshore Pipeline Regulations
TM Trans Mountain
TMX Trans Mountain Expansion Project
UNDA United Nations Declaration Act
UNDRIP United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Introduction and Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 About the IAMC-TMX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 About the Line Wide Gathering 2025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Opening Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Day One: Gathering the Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Opening Ceremony & Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Ministerial Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Co-Chairs’ Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Tending the Fire: Reflections from Federal Officials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fuelling the Fire — Voices on What We’ve Created . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Free, Prior and Informed Consent: tokenist consultations
and bureaucratic traps – how to avoid them? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) Seminar Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Q&A w/ Frank and Philippe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 FPIC in the Mackenzie Valley of the NWT: Co-management in Practice . . . . . . 39 What Could a Best Practice FPIC Model Look Like in Canada? . . . . . . . . . . 42 FPIC in Our Nations: What Does Consent Mean to Us? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Day One Closing & Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
IAMC-TMX – LINE WIDE GATHERING 2025 5
Day Two: Lighting the Path Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Panel: Indigenous-Led Decision-Making, Co-Management, & Oversight that Works . 52 Learning Through Practice Seminar Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Building capacity in SIA for a better future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Behind the Process: A Technical Look at Co-Management Regulation in the North . 58 Indigenous Knowledge in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act . . . . . . . 61 Proposed Indigenous Ministerial Arrangements Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Transport Canada and Future Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Looking Ahead Together — The Future of Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Scenario Exercise: Lessons from TMX for the Future of Consultation . . . . . . . 73
Overarching Themes Across Regions: Looking Ahead Together
– The Future of Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Regional Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Day Two Closing & Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Day Three: Carrying the Fire Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 A New Kind of Oversight: New Entity, Shared Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Reflections from Elders and Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Day Three Closing & Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Key Themes and Calls to Carry Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Live Graphic Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Annexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Annex A: Line Wide Gathering Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Annex B: List of Participating Indigenous Communities and Organizations . . . . 109 Annex C: Use of Digital Tools in Preparing this Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Annex D: IAMC: Oversight and Authorities Aspirational Definitions . . . . . . . . 111 Annex E: Key Resources Shared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Executive Summary
The 2025 Line Wide Gathering brought together more than two hundred and fifty participants from across the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) corridor to reflect on the work of the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee for the Trans Mountain Expansion and existing pipeline (IAMC-TMX) and to look toward what comes next.
Held in October 2025 on Treaty 7 Territory, the Gathering welcomed Elders, youth, leaders, technical staff, from Indigenous communities and organizations spanning from British Columbia to Ontario and the Northwest Territories; as well as federal partners. It marked the IAMC -TMX’s 8th Annual Line Wide Gathering, guided by the theme “What’s Next and Beyond.” Over two and a half days, participants came together in ceremony, learning, and dialogue to consider the future of Indigenous-led oversight in Canada.
IBF5
