Canadian natives gained a say in national supervision of pipelines and power transmission Wednesday, when the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) appointed its first formal Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC).

The IAC includes nine First Nations, Inuit and Metis representatives from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Yukon Territory. Tribal associations chose three of the members.

The committee’s mandate is limited to providing information on overall relationships between native communities and industry. Powers of decision on industrial project approvals and enforcement of standards remain with judge-like CER commissioners.

“The IAC does not deal with specific CER-regulated projects, detailed operational matters or regulatory decision...