Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says major projects push can coexist with reconciliation

OTTAWA — Reconciliation has not returned to the back burner as Canada pushes forward to develop major projects, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said in an interview just ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Simon told The Canadian Press she sees a firm commitment to ensure Indigenous Peoples are involved as the major projects process evolves.

“We need an economy for Indigenous Peoples as well,” Simon said. “You can’t thrive — and survive — without an economic base.”

The major projects legislation that passed in June received widespread condemnation from Indigenous leaders who feared it wouldn’t respect their rights to free, prior and informed consent.

The bill allows the federal government to sidestep existing laws and select projects to fast track for development with cabinet approval. No Indigenous-lead projects were selected for the first round of recommendations to the newly-formed Major Projects Office.

Simon said there has been much discussion in recent months about increasing development in the country and removing interprovincial trade barriers, which she sees as a sign the country is coming together with reconciliation at the top of mind.

“There is a commitment to make sure that Indigenous Peoples are working with the government and developers and businesses to provide for partnerships, to provide for better jobs” rather than ones Simon characterized as “menial.”

“That discussion is changing because education is becoming more of an influence on the younger generation. People are going to school more and more, whereas after the residential school issue, people didn’t like to go to school.”

The residential school era refers to a period between 1857 and 1996 where 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend church-run, government-funded schools where they were barred from speaking their languages in institutions often rife with abuse located far away from their families and communities.

An estimated 6,000 children died while attending the schools, although experts say the actual number could be much higher.

Sept. 30, known as Orange Shirt Day or the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is meant to honour survivors and those who never came home.

Until 1961, First Nations people were automatically stripped of their status if they enrolled in university. Losing their status meant they lost their rights as a First Nations person.

Statistics Canada data show 8,400 First Nations, 6,600 Métis and 250 Inuit graduated from a post-secondary institution in 2022 — numbers largely consistent with the earliest accessible study from 2014.

Statistics Canada estimates the size of the Indigenous-run economy at $56.1 billion in 2021 — about 2.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic income. Indigenous gross domestic income has been increasing at a rate faster than the national economy.

“The conversation is changing, so long as the commitment (to reconciliation) is there,” Simon said.

“In the end, we’re all winners. We have to live side-by-side. We have to get along. And being inclusive doesn’t isolate people — it brings people together.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2025.