The Tsilhqot'in Decision: A View From Quebec

On June 26, 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada recognized for the first time a First Nation's aboriginal title over an area outside a reserve in Tsilhqot'in Nation vs. British Columbia.

Since then much has been written on whether the decision would have an adverse impact on natural and infrastructure development across Canada, with some columnists and think tanks being alarmed at the consequences the decision may have on projects.

In Quebec, the decision has been taken in stride by government and business. It is now generally accepted in Quebec that natural resource and infrastructure development requires local acceptance, particularly north of the 49th parallel in the territory covered by the Plan Nord. As such, Quebec is emphasizing consensus building and, in the final analysis, a sharing of the benefits of development.