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The benefits to First Nations that participate in the expanding energy sector in B.C. will be measured in billions of dollars.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples — adopted unanimously by the B.C. legislature — throws open the door to “economic reconciliation” on an unprecedented scale.

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The implementation of UNDRIP will reduce uncertainty for business, said Fort Nelson First Nation Chief Sharleen Gale.

Photo by handout / PNG

A consent-based model means that business leaders will need to form partnerships with First Nations and incorporate that into their business model, she said.

“When companies come to First Nations on Day 1, it promotes certainty that projects will be built on time, that they align with our values and that there won’t be litigation,” said Gale, chairwoman of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition. “We don’t want to be in the courts, we want to take equity stakes and participate in the economy in our territories.”