Minister says Indigenous advisory council start of major project talks, not end

OTTAWA - Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says the newly appointed Indigenous advisory council marks the start — not the end — of talks with community leaders on how to move the government's major projects agenda forward.

On Wednesday, 11 Indigenous leaders from across the country were named to the federal government’s new Indigenous Peoples’ Council and tasked with advising the new federal body working to fast-track major infrastructure projects.

While First Nations, Inuit and Métis representatives were selected, some Indigenous groups, including the Southern Chiefs Association in Manitoba, raised concerns about the makeup of the council and the lack of representation from their nations.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew similarly raised concern about the lack of First Nations re