The Special Economic Zones…

The Special Economic Zones Act, 2025 (SEZA) violates the rule of law and undermines the rights of Indigenous communities, the public and nature.

The government must:

1. Promote good governance by limiting discretion and political decision-making. This means
limiting the discretion of the Minister and Lieutenant Governor in Council to decide whether
designation criteria have been met and instead employ an evidence-based approach where criteria are clearly defined and measurable, and establish oversight mechanisms to increase public participation in and transparency of designation decisions;

2. Respect and uphold Indigenous rights and sovereignty. This means ensuring any decision-making process respects Indigenous rights and sovereignty by enabling their meaningful participation, equitable benefit sharing, mandating the assessment of social, cultural, environmental and cumulative impacts, and explicitly referencing the rights and principles enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), including Free, Prior and Informed Consent; and

3. Remove the threat of SEZs operating outside of the law. This means withdrawing the draft
regulation and repealing the SEZA that would allow the province to decide what - if any - laws
apply to designated projects/proponents within a SEZ.