First Nations chiefs from across Canada met in Ottawa in July 2026 and passed a resolution against government plans to speed up approvals for big projects like pipelines, mines and infrastructure. They say the changes would weaken environmental rules, cut short the time they have to weigh in, and bypass a standard called free, prior and informed consent.

The meeting was the annual gathering of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), an organization that represents more than 600 First Nations across the country. It ran for three days starting July 14, 2026. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak spoke on the first day. On the second day, delegates backed a resolution moved by Judy Wilson that puts the AFN on record against any government reforms that weaken environmental protections, limit consultation, speed up review timelines, or bypass consent on major projects (The Globe and Mail).

Free, prior and informed consent, often called FPIC, comes from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The idea is that Indigenous peoples should be properly consulted before governments approve projects that affect their land or rights. In Canadian law, there is no single agreed definition of what FPIC requires, which leaves room for disagreement between governments and First Nations.

The resolution points to specific laws in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec that it says are meant to speed up project approvals (The Globe and Mail). At the federal level, the government in question is that of Prime Minister Mark Carney (CBC News).

The resolution says First Nations are already dealing with rushed consultation timelines. It also says First Nations are not against development, but that any project on their territories must respect their rights, their role as stewards of the land, and the FPIC standard (The Globe and Mail).

Chiefs also approved an amendment telling the AFN it cannot negotiate on major projects on their behalf (APTN News). That means the AFN's job is to advocate and co-ordinate, not to bargain for individual First Nations. Individual nations, not the national body, would be the ones governments must deal with directly on any given project.

Woodhouse Nepinak told reporters on the Tuesday of the assembly that "nothing is off the table, courts included" when it comes to protecting First Nations rights as the government fast-tracks projects (The Globe and Mail). That points to possible lawsuits, something First Nations have done before using section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, which recognizes Aboriginal and treaty rights, and the government's legal duty to consult.

Seven federal ministers were scheduled to speak to delegates on the Thursday of the assembly: Dominic LeBlanc (Intergovernmental Affairs), Rebecca Alty (Crown-Indigenous Relations), Mandy Gull-Masty (Indigenous Services), Rebecca Chartrand (Northern and Arctic Affairs), Gary Anandasangaree (Public Safety), Tim Hodgson (Energy), and Buckley Belanger (Secretary of State for Rural Development) (The Globe and Mail).

The challenge for First Nations is that federal and provincial governments are both trying to speed up approvals at the same time. Each province has its own environmental review system, and the federal government has its own on top of that. When both levels compress their timelines together, First Nations face pressure from multiple directions at once, with limited staff and resources to respond. The resolution notes this is already happening, not just something that might happen later.

The amendment telling the AFN not to negotiate reinforces something many chiefs have long said: that individual First Nations, not a national organization, should be the ones governments talk to about projects on their land.

The broader context is that this resolution and the national chief's talk of lawsuits create a direct tension with any government plan to speed up major project approvals. The FPIC standard does not have one settled meaning in Canadian law — the Conservative-led Senate declined to include a definition in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act — which leaves plenty of room for disagreement between what governments call adequate consultation and what First Nations call consent.