Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pitched First Nations leaders with what he called “practical, doable” solutions to create economic prosperity on Tuesday, but also reiterated his concerns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ potential impact on resource development.
“The Conservative Party supports the goals and aspirations of UNDRIP,” Poilievre said during a moderated virtual forum with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).
“But we are concerned that going ahead with the legislation that has been passed before we had the common understanding of what free prior and informed consent meant in law raises some questions.”
UNDRIP is a human rights instrument that acknowledges Indigenous Peoples have the right to give or withhold consent for projects that impact them. The Conservatives have opposed this policy as a “veto,” while the Liberals passed legislation in 2021 requiring federal laws be harmonized with UNDRIP.
AFN, an advocacy organization for …