Politics·NewFederal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson says he has apologized to Coastal First Nations for what he says were a “poor choice of words” regarding a meeting he held with the group on Friday.Hodgson brushed off concerns that some couldn’t attend in person: ‘It’s called Zoom’Darren Major · CBC News · Posted: Nov 28, 2025 7:17 PM EST | Last Updated: 8 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson says he is willing to meet in person with Coastal First Nations after making comments about a virtual meeting on Thursday. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)Federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson says he has apologized to Coastal First Nations for what he says were a “poor choice of words” regarding a meeting he held with the group on Friday.Hodgson was scheduled to meet with the alliance of nine First Nations, who are opposed to a bitumen pipeline to the northern B.C. coast, in the wake of Ottawa and Alberta signing an agreement which is meant to pave a path forward for such a project.The minister brushed off concerns raised about the group’s president, Marilyn Slett, who said the timing and location of the meeting meant she wouldn’t be able to attend in person.“It’s called Zoom,” Hodgson said when asked about Slett’s concerns during a Thursday interview with CBC’s Power & Politics.WATCH | Energy minister defends deal between Ottawa, Alberta:Energy minister defends oil pipeline deal, says it has ‘wins for the environment’Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson responds to the resignation of former climate minister Steven Guilbeault from cabinet by praising the Alberta energy deal’s ‘agreement’ on climate policies like the industrial carbon tax. Hodgson defends the lack of B.C. and Coastal First Nations consent for the potential pipeline: ‘there is no pipeline today.’ “I think that’s what we’re using, David,” Hodgson told host David Cochrane.The federal minister said he apologized to the group roughly 24 hours after he made the comments.“My comments last night about a virtual meeting with Coastal First Nations were a poor choice of words, which I regret,” Hodgson said in a post on X.“I have reached out to them directly to apologize and look forward to an in-person meeting at their convenience.”Hodgson did say he would “happily make the trip” to meet with the group in person shortly after his “Zoom” comment.ABOUT THE AUTHORDarren Major is a senior writer for CBC’s parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. He previously worked as a digital reporter for CBC Ottawa and a producer for CBC’s Power & Politics. He holds a master’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s degree in public affairs and policy management, both from Carleton University. He also holds master’s degree in arts from Queen’s University. He can be reached at darren.major@cbc.ca.
Minister apologizes for ‘poor choice of words’ about meeting with B.C. First Nations group
