Writing in the Sun chain of newspapers, columnist Anthony Furey mentioned a recent MLI report that debunks the myth that a constitutional ‘duty to consult’ gives Aboriginal groups a veto over government decisions.
Furey says the duty to consult is “not veto power. It simply means we’ve got to talk things through earlier and more thoroughly”.
The column cites “The Role and Rule of Law: the duty to consult, Aboriginal communities, and the Canadian natural resources sector“, an MLI research paper written by University of Saskatchewan professor Dwight Newman.
It makes the case that governments, Aboriginal groups and businesses should use the duty to consult as a “lever” that forces them to the table to come to a common agreement on natural resource development.
