This was also the second time Indigenous groups had gone to court to argue that the federal government had failed to properly consult them on the pipeline. In 2018, the Federal Court of Appeal agreed that the government had not fulfilled its duty.

This time, however, the court decided that the latest round of consultations met its test.

What, exactly, makes a consultation with Indigenous people meaningful or reasonable? To find out, I spoke with Gordon Christie, a law professor at the University of British Columbia whose studies include Indigenous land rights and consultations.

“The fact of the matter is: I think it’s impossible to nail down,” he told me.

The appeal court, following previous decisions, was clear about one thing, however. The government is not obliged to follow what Indigenous groups request — or even, ultimately, to get their consent.