Natural Resources

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources met on October 9, 2025, to continue its study of the development of critical minerals in Canada. The committee heard from three witnesses: Sheldon Wuttunee, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Saskatchewan First Nations Natural Resource Centre of Excellence; Sharleen Gale, Executive Chair of the Board of Directors of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition; and Shaun Fantauzzo, Vice-President of Policy of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition.

Sheldon Wuttunee emphasized that First Nations should be recognized as rights holders and rightful partners, not merely participants or shareholders, in resource development. He stressed the need for early, meaningful engagement and adequate capacity funding so First Nations can fully understand projects and their potential impacts on inherent and treaty rights. Wuttunee recommended increased investment in on-reserve education to build the workforce for future projects and called for resource revenue and royalty sharing, noting that First Nations' equity is already contributed through their land and resources. He expressed concerns that Bill C-5 and the new Major Projects Office could lead to less consultation and a potential erosion of treaty rights, and he argued that consultation mechanisms should be developed by First Nations themselves, not imposed by governments.

Sharleen Gale argued that free, prior and informed consent must guide every decision in critical minerals development, and that without capacity-building resources, consent is impossible. She highlighted that many First Nations lack access to legal, financial, technical and environmental expertise needed to evaluate complex projects, and that economic participation should extend across the entire value chain, including refining, processing, manufacturing and recycling. Gale noted that the existing Indigenous loan guarantee program, recently increased to $10 billion, is insufficient given the scale of projects expected, and she called for a clear federal framework to help First Nations assess foreign investment partners. She also stressed that basic community infrastructure—water, housing, broadband and health care—is a precondition for meaningful economic participation, not separate from it.

Shaun Fantauzzo added that access to capital supports must be tailored to the specific economic realities of the critical minerals sector, which differs from rate-regulated industries like pipelines. He emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all template for equity participation, and that the best outcomes arise when First Nations have the resources to make informed decisions. Fantauzzo pointed to the Cedar LNG and Woodfibre LNG projects as success stories where First Nations led their own environmental assessments and engaged their communities through referendums. He also noted that FNMPC is studying the full critical minerals value chain and plans to release findings in early 2026.

The committee briefly discussed scheduling, with the chair proposing additional meetings to hear more witnesses. Some members expressed concern about extending the study too long, while others suggested flexibility to begin other studies concurrently. No formal decision was recorded.