A newly released primer on Indigenous-led assessments comes in sync with a national push for major infrastructure projects and expectations that First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples will be engaged and invested in decisions affecting their lands. “Indigenous Nations have the right to make decisions about what happens on their lands,” says Angel Ransom, senior vice president of environmental services at FNMPC. It’s also aimed at conveying a truer Indigenous perspective — responding to a longstanding critique of how the statutory process frequently underdelivers on that front. “Indigenous-led assessments aren’t new,” observes Melody Lepine, Firelight’s business lead for Indigenous-led assessments. “This primer captures the lessons learned so far, so Nations can shape and define their own assessments based on their laws, values and decision-making processes.”