Abstract:

Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly the standard of free, prior and informed consent, will have ­­significant impacts on resource development, environmental protection and reconcili­ation in Canada. A revitalized approach to land-use planning is one way of applying the consent standard and furthering implementation of Indigenous title and rights. Three models of consent-based decision-making are discussed, with particular reference to British Columbia. They aim to structure proper Indigenous-Crown relations in ways that will collaboratively achieve consent, while advancing greater predictability in decision-making.