Canada's PM wants to fast-track 'nation building' – but can he convince indigenous First Nations?

Indigenous communities have launched a legal challenge against a federal law that would fast-track resource development projects.

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Now, Prime Minister Mark Carney's "nation-building" law - his first major piece of legislation - is poised to put even more of a spotlight on the region. Dubbed the One Canadian Economy Act, the law was passed at a time when the country is involved in a costly trade war with the United States.

And while it could bring billions of investment into places like the Ring of Fire, it could also undermine indigenous nations' rights to their own land, community members fear.

"Ever since these laws were passed it's no longer about indigenous consultation, it's about consent," says Kataquapit. "Consent on whether you are allowed to come into our home territories, our livelihoods and build whatever you want. The time for dialogue is over, and now it's time for action."

No projects have been selected yet, but the government has hinted at a few items on its wish-list, including a pipeline along the British Columbia coast and a carbon-capture project in Alberta's oil sands. The Ring of Fire, a 5,000 square-kilometre area home to significant deposits of chromite, nickel, copper, gold, zinc, and other minerals, has also been flagged as an area ripe for development in partnership with the federal government