OTTAWA — The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says proposed changes to major project development rules “are not acceptable” and risk trampling on the rights of First Nations.

The federal government is proposing giving authority to review interprovincial pipelines and transmission lines, and offshore renewable energy projects, to the Canada Energy Regulator instead of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.

The proposal, which will undergo a 30-day consultation process, would undo the move the Liberals made eight years ago to create the Impact Assessment Agency as a one-stop shop for all national project reviews.

Ottawa is also planning on creating a Crown consultation hub within the Impact Assessment Agency to better co-ordinate efforts with Indigenous communities and provinces to reduce what it calls “consultation fatigue.”

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says the proposed changes “demonstrate a pattern of exclusion” and she rejects the compressed timeline to submit feedback.

She says she wants the federal government to hold full parliamentary committee meetings to hear directly from chiefs and warns the Crown will not meet its duty to consult unless a process is established with First Nations rights-holders.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.

— With files from Nick Murray

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press