By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Human rights organization Amnesty International has joined First Nations leaders across Canada in expressing concern about recently passed legislation that allows the federal government to fast-track certain infrastructure projects. In a July 5 statement, Amnesty International Canada said that Bill C-5, also known as the One Canadian Economy Act, poses a “troubling threat” to Indigenous rights. In addition to reducing barriers towards inter-provincial trade, Bill C-5 enables the government to label infrastructure projects, including dams, mines, pipelines and ports, to be in the “national interest.” By doing so, the government is able to exempt the project from certain regulations, including the Fisheries Act, Marine Act, Species at Risk Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Energy Regulator Act and Impact Assessment Act,…
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