2025-26 Regulatory and Permitting Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects
The Cabinet Directive on Regulatory and Permitting Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects focuses on the federal efforts needed to accelerate regulatory efficiency for clean growth projects. It is intended to help get clean growth projects built faster by accelerating decision-making related to these projects.
Section 1. Overview of Indigenous Services Canada's Role in Supporting Regulatory and Permitting Efficiency
ISC has regulatory and permitting responsibilities for projects under the Impact Assessment Act and under the Indian Act. ISC is a federal regulator for projects, or portions of projects, that are located on reserve lands if the project requires a land authorization or other permit from the Minister of Indigenous Services under the Indian Act.
For major projects that are designated under the Impact Assessment Act, ISC provides expert advice to inform the assessment of effects on the health, social, and economic conditions of Indigenous peoples, and the assessment of impacts to rights. Expert advice that ISC provides in a federal impact assessment is published on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry.
For non-designated projects that are on reserve lands, ISC conducts an Environmental Review Process for all projects that it proposes, funds, or authorizes, in order to determine whether the project will result in adverse environmental effects, in line with its obligations under section 82 of the Impact Assessment Act.
Section 2. Results for Thematic Areas of the Cabinet Directive
Theme 1: Strengthening service standards
Actual results:
For projects that are designated under the Impact Assessment Act, ISC consistently met timelines when contributing 56 written submissions to inform the federal impact assessment process for 32 unique designated projects. The department ensured coordinated information gathering and synthesis across the department, supported by awareness-building about the scope of ISC's responsibilities for designated projects.
For projects that are not designated under the Impact Assessment Act, the department improved internal consistency, coordination, and awareness; enhanced communication to proponents; and built tools to tailor the level of review required to the level of risk of a project. In collaboration with a sub-working group of departments involved in federal lands reviews, ISC developed new guidance to improve coordination of impact assessment, regulatory, and funding processes, when multiple federal authorities have responsibilities for a project on federal lands.
Theme 2: Providing timely guidance to proponents
Actual results:
ISC continued to fulfill its role as a federal regulator when projects include physical activities on reserve lands that require land authorizations or permits from the Minister of Indigenous Services under the Indian Act. Most projects on reserve lands are non-designated projects. In 2025-26, ISC worked closely with First Nations and proponents to complete environmental reviews for 970 projects on reserve in a timely manner. The department also continued to strengthen collaboration with other federal authorities involved in projects on reserve lands to ensure information requirements communicated to proponents are coordinated and non-duplicative.
Although Impact Assessment Act-designated and other major infrastructure and resource development projects rarely occur on reserve lands, ISC participated in federal review teams for most major projects, due to the social, economic and health impacts of these projects for First Nations. In such cases, the department worked with proponents and potentially affected First Nations to support timely and meaningful completion of regulatory requirements and consultation. ISC contributed to permitting plans and provided early advice on Indian Act requirements to facilitate efficient project reviews.
Theme 3: Coordinating consultation with Indigenous Peoples
Actual results:
ISC remained actively engaged as an expert department and regulatory authority, as appropriate, in federal impact assessment processes. During 2025-26, ISC participated in 32 federal impact assessments of designated projects, and contributed 56 submissions to inform the assessments led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. ISC's submissions provided advice on potential social, economic and health impacts of projects affecting Indigenous peoples and recommendations on mitigation and complementary measures. Drawing on its relationships with First Nations and program expertise, ISC informed decision-making related to community capacity, housing and infrastructure, health considerations and economic development opportunities.
ISC continued to promote early engagement between project proponents and potentially affected Indigenous communities for the 970 non-designated projects on reserve lands that required an environmental review to meet the requirements of section 82 of the Impact Assessment Act in 2025-26. In cases where projects on reserve involved multiple federal authorities, ISC coordinated consultation activities with federal partners, helping to ensure that consultation obligations were met efficiently and consistently while supporting the timely completion of regulatory review processes.