Tom Isaac recently sat down with Canadian Lawyer’s “CL Podcast” to discuss the development of Indigenous-owned projects in Canada. Tom recently co-authored, with Jeremy Barretto, a book on this topic titled “The Law of Indigenous Ownerships and Projects,” published by Thomson Reuters.
The conversation focused on Tom’s experience in this area, the key legal challenges Indigenous communities face when initiating and managing ownership in large-scale projects, insights into the how Indigenous ownership may influence the future of Canada’s energy and infrastructure sectors, successful examples of Indigenous-industry partnerships, the multi-disciplinary nature of this work, and how the legal profession can better support Indigenous communities in navigating the complexities of project ownership and development, and more…
Says Tom: “You’ve clearly captured the essence of what we discuss in the book, particularly the complexities of inter-jurisdictional issues – not just federal, provincial, and territorial, but Indigenous as well. There’s still very little case law in this area, and those familiar with the field would agree that we’re in the early stages of understanding crucial concepts like modern treaty interpretation and the constitutional principle of the honour of the Crown. We’re really just scratching the surface of how these principles apply, especially in business contexts, such as Métis rights, where the case law is particularly sparse. This presents a huge opportunity for growth…. From a business perspective, this growth is promising. Our book is about fostering both Canada’s economy and the Indigenous economy, which plays a vital role in reconciliation.”
Listen to the full podcast here.
Learn more about “The Law of Indigenous Ownership and Projects” here.