“The True North is Indeed Strong and Free”
May 28, 2025
Photo Source: https://peacebychocolate.ca/pages/our-story1
For only the second time Canada’s head of state has opened parliament and given the Speech from the Throne2. It was acknowledged prior to yesterday’s event that the presence of the King was to be largely symbolic, but that is enough. Canada has a unique culture and heritage that Canadians will defend, and part of that rests on the fact that we are an independent constitutional monarchy. Charles III made that quite clear in his speech when he said “the True North is indeed strong and free’.
One of the phrases he used regarding the economic future of Canada was the need to think big and act bigger. This was articulated as the government’s overarching goal — its core mission — to build the strongest economy in the G7. “That starts with creating one Canadian economy out of 13.”
In our practice of industrial relations, one of the key niches is providing services to owners of large capital projects to ensure they have developed comprehensive and cohesive stakeholder relations strategies in order to develop the social license to proceed with those projects and in order to gain the support of local communities and labour organizations that will be counted on to provide the necessary resources to complete the projects on time and on budget.
Echoing another promise made by Prime Minister Carney the King alluded to the need to build more, including energy infrastructure — and to do it fast.
“To build Canada strong, the government is working closely with provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples to identify and catalyze projects of national significance,” projects that will connect Canada, that will deepen Canada’s ties with the world, and that will create high-paying jobs for generations.”
The speech reiterates Carney’s promise to set up a “major federal project office” to reduce the time needed to approve a project from five years to two and strike agreements with every interested province and territory within six months to realize its goal of “one project, one review.”
Like many Canadians we wonder what the ”projects of national significance” will be? We also recognize that implicit in the throne speech and in the government’s mandate is the need to obtain Free Prior and Informed Consent from the indigenous people impacted by resource development and infrastructure projects. It was a clear message throughout the throne speech that Canada must remain committed to reconciliation and honour its indigenous people.
In related news the B.C government is set to pass a pair of Bills (14 and 15) that could undermine the requirement to consult with indigenous groups impacted by certain projects. These Bills potentially provide the cabinet with extraordinary powers to fast-track public and private infrastructure projects. In particular Bill 15, the Infrastructure Project Act, empowers the cabinet to override regulatory and other authorities on any project the New Democrats designate “provincially significant.” Indigenous leaders and municipal leaders oppose this legislation as it excludes their input into projects that could have direct and adverse impacts on their communities.
Premier Eby’s response in an attempt to placate indigenous groups was this: “I understand the history of the provincial government and why the words fast-track would cause so much concern among Indigenous leaders, but I also had a very positive meeting with the modern treaty nations. We’re engaging with Indigenous leadership on major projects across the province, and I think and hope we’ll be able to get to a point of demonstrating that this bill not only benefits the province as a whole; it benefits Indigenous communities as well.”
Meanwhile in Ontario Premier Ford has introduced the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act (or Bill 5), which includes major changes to the province's endangered species and environmental protection laws. The Bill would create "special economic zones" that would suspend provincial and municipal laws for certain projects. Premier Doug Ford has said the Ring of Fire mineral deposit in northern Ontario and his proposed tunnel under Highway 401 would be given that special status under the proposed law. The Bill has drawn criticism from First Nations, environmentalists and legal advocates, who have said the proposed law would gut environmental protections for wildlife and infringe on treaty rights.
In both B.C. and Ontario, the intent is to fast-track permitting for projects of significance in order to get projects approved and shovels into the ground quickly. The goal is to reduce permitting time to two years. The urgency, and the urgency reflected in the federal government’s agenda, is a response to the existential threat posed by the current U.S. administration’s trade war with Canada (and most of the world) and its provocation to force us into wanting to become the 51st state.
While this urgency is well intentioned and necessary provincial governments have to recognize that our laws have to consistently reflect our values and our larger obligations to honour treaty relations and to act in honour of the Crown3. Through consultation and the involvement of indigenous leaders there are alternative ways to achieve the same ends. Restricting the inherent rights of some in order to serve the greater good is not consistent with Canadian values nor will it yield the desired results.
Canada’s destiny lies in the establishment of an industrial strategy that allows us to forge new trade alliances particularly in Asia and Europe and to reduce our current dependency on U.S. trade. It also lies in what some are calling becoming an “Energy Superpower”. But before we go running off approving different projects we ought to figure out what the end goal looks like. If we are to build a sustainable future we need to rely on fossil fuel extraction in the short-run but only until we can build the infrastructure to create a National grid that can provide electric power from all sources across all of Canada.
We also need to recognize that despite the short-term cooling of the EV market this is ultimately the way of the future automobile. While Americans cling to their gas guzzlers we can be joining the rest of the world in moving towards EVs as the transportation standard. In fact, given our resources (including critical minerals and rare earth minerals), and our people, we ought to be able to become leaders in the creation of a green energy super power.
While leveraging the short-term, which likely will include additional pipelines, oil extraction efforts and LNG projects, we need to lay out steady, paced plans for the long-term. Canada will fail if it merely focuses on extraction and fails to build the secondary and tertiary industries that will make it the envy of the world. To do this we must divorce ourselves from the U.S. which is far too obsessed with short term profits and earnings and which ignores the negative effects its economic activities have on the world’s ecosystems.
However, to fashion a stable strategy we must engage all stakeholders. The moves being made by the B.C. and Ontario governments promise to alienate many important groups including the indigenous people who typically are the most impacted by resource development. The unintended consequences despite the well meaning behind fast-tracking will be open conflicts that will hinder project development and lead to delays and even cancellations.
We acknowledge that project development and the creation of a Canadian Industrial Strategy is thankfully on the table and is essential to our future as a nation and these projects must be fast-tracked. But as our culture and identity mature and in keeping with our vows to make every effort at reconciliation with the indigenous people of this land, we cannot opt out of our obligations. To be strong and free we must uphold the honour of the Crown.
[2] For a short yet comprehensive summary of this concept we refer you to: https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2021/08/honour-of-the-crown/
A Syrian Family’s story. Read more at: https://peacebychocolate.ca/pages/our-story
Queen Elizabeth II opened parliament in 1957. She also delivered the Throne Speech in 1977.
For a short yet comprehensive summary of this concept we refer you to: https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2021/08/honour-of-the-crown/