Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre promised to put the power back in the hands of Canada’s First Nations by taking the federal bureaucracy out of their lives.
His pledge, given at the Assembly of First Nations’ annual general meeting in Montreal on Thursday, included his usual talking points of axing the tax, building homes, fixing the budget, and stopping crime. He also promised to make First Nations people richer and more independent.
“I’m not here to run your life. I don’t want to run anybody’s life. I want to run a small government with big citizens, free to make their own decisions and live their own lives,” said Poilievre.
Poilievre said that the country is sitting on immense untapped potential, much of which resides in First Nations communities.
“For too long, you’ve been held back by a broken system that takes power away from you and places it in the hands of politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa,” said Poilievre. “The reality is we don’t have billions. We have trillions of dollars of resource wealth right beneath our feet. That wealth belongs, in many cases, to you and your communities, your children. Your children can be the richest in the world if we unleash these opportunities.”
Poilievre said that the Conservatives and First Nations people share the same values of faith and spirituality.
“These Indigenous values—faith, family, work, tradition, entrepreneurship, and land—will guide everything I do as Prime Minister,” he said.
Poilievre stressed that the meaning of the word “Prime Minister” is first servant. He added that his job was to be a servant of all people and a partner to the First Nations.
Poilievre called the idea that Ottawa needs to manage First Nations people is “paternalistic and insulting” but also “proven wrong.”
Ottawa has proven that bureaucracy leads to money being wasted, according to Poilievre.
The Conservative leader’s speech included various chiefs who got up to make statements and ask questions after Poilievre’s initial address.
One chief suggested that projects should be split equally three ways between Canada, the companies, and the First Nations.
“I don’t think the federal government should get a third. I think they should get a lot less than a third. If the resources are developed in your land, you should get the money. The workers and the businesses that invest should get the money,” said Poilievre. “We don’t need the money to go to Ottawa, where it will be squandered on bureaucracy.”
The Liberals have squandered various multi-billion dollar projects in the past that would have been executed through partnering with Indigenous people, said Poilievre. He argued that these shutdowns came without proper consultation with First Nations people.
One such example is the Teck Frontier miner, a $20 billion project which didn’t see the light of day because “we have a wacko environment minister who doesn’t want to grant a permit to build a road there,” said Poilievre.
However, various First Nations chiefs are currently working on projects, some of whom have since become Conservative candidates.
The LNG Canada project is a $40 billion project, which represents the largest private sector investment in Canadian history, initiated by former Haisla Chief Ellis Ross. Ross has served as an MLA since 2017 and is currently a federal Conservative candidate.
The Haisla nation is also pursuing a $3.28 billion Cedar LNG Project, being built under the leadership of former Enoch Chief Billy Morin. He is also a federal Conservative party candidate.
Poilievre said he knows that the relationship between the federal government and First Nations is fragile thanks to the Liberals’ poor decision-making.
“I know that it won’t be easy. We won’t always agree. And you’ve heard enough promises and enough performative reconciliation. We need our honest and direct conversations and a partnership based on a nation-to-nation relationship and mutual respect,” he said.