{"id":106885,"date":"2026-07-15T16:47:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T20:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/?p=106885"},"modified":"2026-07-15T16:47:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T20:47:04","slug":"chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs warn they&#8217;ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs say they&#8217;ll oppose any actions by federal and provincial governments to expedite major projects that would undermine their rights and environmental protections. They passed two resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday confirming that stance and committing the AFN to opposing legislation or policies that dilute their rights or undermine their decision-making processes. Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Veronica Smith said recent federal moves to speed up major projects &#8220;have raised concerns among First Nations across Canada that efforts to expedite project approvals may undermine the meaningful implementation of free, prior and informed consent, treaty relationships, environmental stewardship responsibilities and nation-to-nation decision-making.&#8221; Many First Nations have expressed concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney&#8217;s major project&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"pmpro\">\n<div class=\"pmpro_card pmpro_content_message\">\n<div class=\"pmpro_card_content\">This content is for Yearly Subscription, Yearly Subscription &#8211; Corporate, Print Subscription Only, Canada Print and Online, and USA Print and Online members only.<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?action=register\">Register<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"pmpro_card_actions pmpro_font-medium\">Already a member? <a href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Ftheturtleislandnews.com%2Findex.php%2F2026%2F07%2F15%2Fchiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2%2F\">Log in here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs say they&#8217;ll oppose any actions by federal and provincial governments to expedite major projects that would undermine their rights and environmental protections. They passed two resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday confirming that stance and committing the AFN to opposing legislation or policies that dilute their rights or undermine their decision-making processes. Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Veronica Smith said recent federal moves to speed up major projects &#8220;have raised concerns among First Nations across Canada that efforts to expedite project approvals may undermine the meaningful implementation of free, prior and informed consent, treaty relationships, environmental stewardship responsibilities and nation-to-nation decision-making.&#8221; Many First Nations have expressed concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney&#8217;s major project... <\/p>\n<div class=\"pmpro\"><div class=\"pmpro_card pmpro_content_message\"><div class=\"pmpro_card_content\">This content is for Yearly Subscription, Yearly Subscription - Corporate, Print Subscription Only, Canada Print and Online, and USA Print and Online members only.<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?action=register\">Register<\/a><\/div><div class=\"pmpro_card_actions pmpro_font-medium\">Already a member? <a href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Ftheturtleislandnews.com%2Findex.php%2F2026%2F07%2F15%2Fchiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2%2F\">Log in here<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":101363,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news","category-ticker","pmpro-level-required","pmpro-level-3","pmpro-level-2","pmpro-level-5","pmpro-level-4","pmpro-level-6","pmpro-level-7","pmpro-level-8","pmpro-no-access"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chiefs warn they&#039;ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push - The Turtle Island News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chiefs warn they&#039;ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push - The Turtle Island News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs say they&#8217;ll oppose any actions by federal and provincial governments to expedite major projects that would undermine their rights and environmental protections. They passed two resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday confirming that stance and committing the AFN to opposing legislation or policies that dilute their rights or undermine their decision-making processes. Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Veronica Smith said recent federal moves to speed up major projects &#8220;have raised concerns among First Nations across Canada that efforts to expedite project approvals may undermine the meaningful implementation of free, prior and informed consent, treaty relationships, environmental stewardship responsibilities and nation-to-nation decision-making.&#8221; Many First Nations have expressed concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney&#8217;s major project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Turtle Island News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TurtleIslandNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-15T20:47:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/facebooklogo.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"725\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"483\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lynda Powless\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@newsattheturtle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@newsattheturtle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lynda Powless\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lynda Powless\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458\"},\"headline\":\"Chiefs warn they&#8217;ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T20:47:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":403,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"National News\",\"ticker\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"Chiefs warn they'll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push - The Turtle Island News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T20:47:04+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chiefs warn they&#8217;ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Turtle Island News\",\"description\":\"Your Source for Local News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Turtle Island News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/turtle150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/turtle150.jpg\",\"width\":140,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Turtle Island News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/TurtleIslandNews\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/newsattheturtle\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCOqB-hG3L6hRLsmqY0e5k0g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458\",\"name\":\"Lynda Powless\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lynda Powless\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/lynda\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chiefs warn they'll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push - The Turtle Island News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chiefs warn they'll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push - The Turtle Island News","og_description":"By Alessia Passafiume First Nations chiefs say they&#8217;ll oppose any actions by federal and provincial governments to expedite major projects that would undermine their rights and environmental protections. They passed two resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday confirming that stance and committing the AFN to opposing legislation or policies that dilute their rights or undermine their decision-making processes. Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Veronica Smith said recent federal moves to speed up major projects &#8220;have raised concerns among First Nations across Canada that efforts to expedite project approvals may undermine the meaningful implementation of free, prior and informed consent, treaty relationships, environmental stewardship responsibilities and nation-to-nation decision-making.&#8221; Many First Nations have expressed concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney&#8217;s major project","og_url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/","og_site_name":"The Turtle Island News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TurtleIslandNews\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-15T20:47:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":725,"height":483,"url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/facebooklogo.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lynda Powless","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@newsattheturtle","twitter_site":"@newsattheturtle","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lynda Powless","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Lynda Powless","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458"},"headline":"Chiefs warn they&#8217;ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push","datePublished":"2026-07-15T20:47:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/"},"wordCount":403,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["National News","ticker"],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/","url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/","name":"Chiefs warn they'll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push - The Turtle Island News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-07-15T20:47:04+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/chiefs-warn-theyll-fight-any-assault-on-first-nations-rights-in-major-projects-push-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chiefs warn they&#8217;ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/","name":"The Turtle Island News","description":"Your Source for Local News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#organization","name":"Turtle Island News","url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/turtle150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/turtle150.jpg","width":140,"height":150,"caption":"Turtle Island News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TurtleIslandNews\/","https:\/\/x.com\/newsattheturtle","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCOqB-hG3L6hRLsmqY0e5k0g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458","name":"Lynda Powless","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lynda Powless"},"url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/author\/lynda\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101363"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106886,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106885\/revisions\/106886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}