Poilievre proposes plan for First Nations to collect taxes from industry

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proposed a new plan Thursday for First Nations to collect taxes from industry that he says would speed up negotiations and project approvals.

Poilievre announced what he called an optional First Nations resource charge alongside First Nations leaders in Vancouver, and dubbed it a First Nation-led solution to a made-in-Ottawa problem.

He says it would permit First Nations to collect 50 per cent of the federal taxes paid by industrial activities on their land, with industry getting a tax credit in exchange.

Poilievre says the resource charge would make resource projects more attractive to First Nations, and would not preclude communities from using other arrangements like impact benefit agreements.

Chief Donna Big Canoe of Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation says Canada’s legacy of colonialism has led to inequalities, and the resource charge is a step forward.

Poilieve has teased the plan before and says he’s been holding consultations since January 2022, but the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says its member First Nations were not consulted on the initiative.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press