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VICTORIA — The Federal Court of Appeal decision in favour of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has also highlighted guidelines for dealings with First Nations on other major projects.

Four First Nation applicants from B.C. had argued that the federal cabinet’s second-round approval for TMX failed to meet standards of consultation and accommodation of their interests.

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The court ruled Tuesday that, on the contrary, Ottawa had met those standards: It consulted Indigenous peoples in depth and accommodated their interests where possible in a process that was “anything but a rubber stamping exercise.”

In the course of a 90-page ruling, the court also set out what consultation and accommodation does and does not entail — for governments and First Nations.

The court says the commitment means Indigenous people will have “the opportunity to make submissions for consideration, formal participation in the decision-making process, provision of written reasons to show that Indigenous concerns were considered and to reveal the impact they had on the decision, and dispute resolution procedures like mediation or administrative regimes with impartial decision-makers.”