Poilievre announces consultations with First Nations on resource revenues

The federal Conservative leader says he's launching countrywide consultations between First Nations and industry leaders on a proposedopt-in policy for First Nations to share the revenue generated by resource development on their lands.

Pierre Poilievre announced the move Tuesday at a news conference in Vancouver, where he endorsed a proposed "First Nations resource charge" and pledged to deploy his stable of parliamentary critics to lead the talks.

Willing First Nations could choose to collect more resource revenues from projects on their lands, Poilievre said, suggesting the federal government could offset the extra costs incurred by the resource sector by "ceding tax room" to them.

While he acknowledged companies already sign agreements with First Nations, he called the process ad hoc, bureaucratic and clouded with uncertainty, andthat it ends up lining the pockets of lawyers, consultants and lobbyists.

"For hundreds of years, First Nations people have suffered under a broken system that gives power over their lives to a faraway government in Ottawa that decides for them," he said.