For years, with community guidance and community support, the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council staff and elected Chiefs of the seven IRTC nations have been fighting against the Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin Outlet Channels project with both the Manitoba provincial government and the Canadian federal government.

Throughout the process, your voices have been elevated with elected and departmental officials and through that work, we finally have movement and acknowledgement that this process did not meet the bar for consultation and consent. While there is still much work to do, we’re proud to tell you that the provincial government has officially told the federal government that the Outlet Channels project should be put on pause.

For the first time in our conversations with provincial and federal governments, it was refreshing to hear a Premier acknowledge that First Nations know best about what is in our own best interest. The Premier clearly stated that any flood mitigation plans to protect reserves and our traditional territory in the Interlake region will not proceed without buy-in from Interlake First Nations.

We both agreed that the Outlet Channels project should not proceed without first building consent with affected Indigenous communities or if it destroys or seriously impacts commercial or subsistence fishing, Indigenous rights, or cultural sites.

We remain hopeful that all further steps in this process are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and that flood management decisions are made in a way that meets modern expectations of Indigenous partnership and consent over the infrastructure that affects our communities.

This is a big win in our years-long opposition to this project and this win is owed to community members who fought against this trampling of our Treaty rights. We will continue to keep you updated on the next steps in this process and to elevate your voices to flight to make sure that any Manitoba water strategy benefits First Nations and doesn’t cause harm to our lands.

In solidarity,

Karl Zadnik
Chief Executive Officer Interlake Reserves Tribal Council

Holding statement
“For years, former Manitoba governments adopted an approach of informing Indigenous communities of decisions after they were made, instead of including us in the decision-making process. This was the case with fernier PC government and the proposed Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin Outlet Channels project which will largely affect Interlake Reserves Tribal Council communities.

Yet, with this pause, where the previous government failed, the new NDP government is working to move forward in an inclusive manner by halting the Outlet Channels project to address ongoing design and operational deficiencies, integrate the socioeconomic and rights impact research, conduct heritage and culture fieldwork, and fulfil the Manitoba government’s legal requirements to consult and accommodate our rights.

We are hopeful that all further steps are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRJP) and that flood management decisions for this project and beyond are made in a manner that complies with modem expectations of Indigenous partnership and consent over the infrastructure and water policies that affect our communities.”