Reconciliation, Indigenous Rights and Offshore Oil and Gas Development in the Canadian Arctic

Abstract

In this article, the author addresses the potential impacts of Arctic offshore oil and gas development on Indigenous communities who reside in northern Canada. She argues that the potential environmental, social and cultural harms of such development may disproportionately affect such Indigenous communities. Relying on Canadian jurisprudence, she suggests that the principle of reconciliation may help mitigate the negative impacts of the development of Arctic offshore oil and gas resources. A fulsome conception of reconciliation supports meaningful consultation, efforts to substantially address Indigenous concerns, and ongoing collaborative negotiations in the context of offshore oil and gas development in the Arctic.