Financing a brighter future – The Lawyers Weekly

April 22 2016

Loans help build infrastructure and autonomy for First Nations, while the Indian Act does not

Development on First Nations land is an important and increasingly necessary imperative. First Nations communities need massive infrastructure development but equally important are the needs to work alongside industry, attract outside investment and realize the value trapped in the lands that are governed by the Indian Act.

I started my legal practice with a simple goal in mind: to assist First Nations to become prosperous and sustainable. What I quickly learned was that the Indian Act had the effect of crippling progress and creating an unrelenting cycle of administrative dependency. Put simply, the Indian Act inserted the Department of Indigenous Affairs as the final decision-maker and signatory to real property development decisions on behalf of First Nations. First Nations, banks and other third parties see the government as an unwilling party forced to participate in these transactions. The Indian Act must be eliminated if Canada’s First Nations lands are to be put to sustainable uses that create strong communities for our people. Now, to eliminate the Indian Act is no simple task. The legislation holds the baggage of a historical relationship between indigenous people and the Crown and there is not enough political will to have it eliminated entirely — or not just yet.

Read More: http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/articles/2661