Otipemisiwak Métis Government ready to partner on Alberta's Major-Project Agenda and calls for Alberta to adopt Interim Consultation Protocol
Posted on: Jul 02, 2026
EDMONTON — Today, the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada announced plans to advance a pipeline to the west coast. President Andrea Sandmaier issued the following statement on behalf of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government:
“The Otipemisiwak Métis Government is the oldest Métis government in Canada. We are a federally recognized Indigenous government representing more than 78,000 rights-bearing Métis Albertans, and our rights are protected under Section 35 of the Constitution.
Any major project of this scale in this province must include our government from the start. Not as a stakeholder to be informed after the fact, but as a Section 35 rights-holder and a nation-building partner at the table.
The Otipemisiwak Métis Government supports responsible major-project development in Alberta. Our Citizens have consistently supported opportunities that create jobs, ownership, and long-term prosperity for our communities. Our tradespeople are ready to work. Our businesses are ready to build. And we are ready to help build Canada strong.
The Government of Canada committed to ensuring that single process approvals for major projects would not come at the expense of the recognition of our rights and the Crown’s duty to consult. We now look for the Government of Alberta to advance this project in the same practical, solutions-focused way, with the Otipemisiwak Métis Government at the table.
To date, the working relationship our Métis government has with the Government of Canada has not been mirrored by the Alberta government’s words or actions on meaningful engagement and consultation. As we are all partners in the future of this project, we hope that each government can engage, consult, and partner with one another from a mutual standing of respect and recognition.
To correct course, our government has proposed an interim consultation protocol for major projects in Alberta, a clear path for early notice, engagement with our government and the relevant District Councils, and more predictable project development. It is a constructive, made-in-Alberta solution that supports both economic certainty and reconciliation, and we are ready to advance it now.
Major projects in this province will be strongest when our Métis government, our District Councils, and the Government of Alberta are working together early, before big decisions are made. Bringing us in early leads to better projects, stronger communities, and real opportunities for Métis Citizens and for all Albertans.
We would also welcome a second Métis Major Projects Summit with Prime Minister Carney that builds upon last year’s Métis Summit, focused on implementation, identifying priority projects, building clear consultation pathways, and ensuring Métis governments are shaping Canada’s major-project agenda from the earliest stages.
The Métis Nation helped build this country. We are ready to help continue building it. The Otipemisiwak Métis Government will always run as fast as our partners are willing to run beside us.”
MEDIA CONTACT
Kenny Trenton
Press Secretary, Otipemisiwak Métis Government
ktrenton@metis.org