A newly released primer on Indigenous-led assessments comes in sync with a national push for major infrastructure projects and expectations that First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples will be engaged and invested in decisions affecting their lands. The First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) and Firelight, an advisory providing negotiation, engagement, research and training services in support of Indigenous rights and interests, have joined forces to discuss how a self-directed assessment process can serve Indigenous objectives.

“Indigenous Nations have the right to make decisions about what happens on their lands,” says Angel Ransom, senior vice president of environmental services at FNMPC. “This primer supports that right by helping communities lead their own assessments, on their own terms, and with a clear path to engage with proponents and governments in a way that upholds Indigenous values.”

The primer outlines considerations, principles and practical approaches for conducting an Indigenous-led assessment (ILA) that can be either separate from, or in collaboration with, statutorily required processes the federal or provincial/territorial governments undertake. An ILA could be used to inform and support rights holders’ decision-making about proposed projects or ILA findings may be considered in the statutory process.

The ILA process is intended to garner information about expected project impacts, identify pathways to avoid, reduce or compensate for those impacts, and help Indigenous stakeholders determine conditions for consent. It’s also aimed at conveying a truer Indigenous perspective — responding to a longstanding critique of how the statutory process frequently underdelivers on that front.

“Indigenous-led assessments aren’t new,” observes Melody Lepine, Firelight’s business lead for Indigenous-led assessments. “This primer captures the lessons learned so far, so Nations can shape and define their own assessments based on their laws, values and decision-making processes.”