How a conservative US network undermined Indigenous energy rights in Canada

Members of the Nuchatlaht First Nation and supporters rally outside the BC supreme court before the start of an Indigenous land title case in Vancouver in March. Photograph: Canadian Press/Rex/Shutterstock

A US-based libertarian coalition has spent years pressuring the Canadian government to limit how much Indigenous communities can push back on energy development on their own land, newly reviewed strategy documents reveal.

The Atlas Network partnered with an Ottawa-based thinktank – the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) – which enlisted pro-industry Indigenous representatives in its campaign to provide “a shield against opponents”.