"B.C. and First Nation reach first ‘consent-based’ agreement on mining project," 6 Jun 2022

The British Columbia government says it has entered a first-of-its-kind “consent-based” agreement with a First Nation over land use, changing the way resource projects move forward in its territory.

... The deal is the first in Canada made according to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, said Murray Rankin, minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation. The declaration calls for the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples when governments make decisions that affect them.

... Tahltan president Chad Norman Day said it’s “extremely important” that the nation’s rights and values are at the heart of any project on its territory. Becoming the first Indigenous group to sign such an agreement is an accomplishment, he said.

... [Skeena Resources Ltd.'s Justin] Himmelright called that consent a “very, very important step” that will be foundational to the project’s success.

... “The Tahltan people will ultimately decide whether or not this project goes through. The way that this is structured, is that our consent is needed in order to operationalize and build this project, so it’s something that the Tahltan nation has never had before in an agreement,” Day said.