Canada has a tough time building things. From pipelines to other forms of linear infrastructure such as powerlines, flowlines, roads, and access tracks. The necessary blood and bones of a functioning society, in other words. Keeping our lights on and our homes heated depends on the building, maintenance, and continued building of such projects.
Getting to Yes on Linear Infrastructure Projects is a collection of essays published by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute that seeks to deal with our shortcomings in this regard. Filled with a variety of thinkers and recommendations, the key challenge is “non-unanimity” among key stakeholders.
This issue of non-unanimity was obvious with the disputed Trans Mountain Pipeline, which, though broadly supported by the majority of Indigenous communities, faced strong opposition from a few communities and their leaders. How to resolve these competing viewpoints to establish an effective framework for infrastructure development that benefits Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians alike? These essays have some ideas.
“Indigenous rights and economic prosperity for all need not be at odds, but failure to exercise effective leadership may end up putting them at odds and seizing national tragedy out of national opportunity,” concludes Dwight Newman. “Canada’s future can still be one of opportunity for all, and we must all keep pursuing the steps to get there.”
