In a striking declaration that has ignited debate, New Democratic Party leadership candidate Avi Lewis has framed large-scale Canadian infrastructure projects as potential conduits for severe violence, including sexual assault and murder, against Indigenous women and girls.
Debate Comments Spark Controversy
The comments were made during the NDP's French-language leadership debate in Montreal on November 27, 2025. Lewis criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney's focus on "nation-building projects," describing them as "big, manly things with huge work camps entailed in remote areas." He went on to state that "the impacts on Indigenous women and girls are intense, are horrifying."
While Lewis's direct language on a national political stage is new, the underlying argument is not. For years, activist groups opposing pipeline and hydroelectric dam construction have asserted that temporary worker housing, often called "man camps," brings an increased risk of violence to nearby Indigenous communities.
Activist Campaigns and Legal Challenges
This perspective has been central to several high-profile campaigns and legal actions. In 2020, opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in British Columbia sought court injunctions, arguing the project would introduce dangerous work camps to Northern B.C., exacerbating what they called an "epidemic of violence against Indigenous women."
Similarly, the environmental group Stand.Earth cited the threat of "man camps" in its efforts to stop the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline. A 2020 report from the group supported blockades of such camps, noting that five were already blockading a Trans Mountain site in Blue River, B.C.
International organizations have echoed these concerns. In a 2024 statement, Amnesty International linked pipeline construction to "high rates of sexual and gender-based violence and trafficking experienced by Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people." Paradoxically, the group has also opposed increased policing near work sites, arguing it leads to the harassment and intimidation of community members.
Scrutiny of the Supporting Data
Despite the prevalence of these claims in activist circles, the data supporting a direct, causal link between resource project work camps and a spike in violence against Indigenous women is not considered tremendously strong by many analysts. The argument often relies on broader, systemic issues of vulnerability and the historical pattern of violence against Indigenous women in Canada, rather than on crime statistics specifically tied to project sites.
The debate places Lewis at the intersection of environmental activism, Indigenous rights, and economic development—a key tension within the NDP's base. His comments reflect a long-standing critique from some quarters that Canada's resource economy has a hidden human cost, particularly for vulnerable populations.
As the NDP leadership race continues, Lewis's framing of infrastructure as a potential instrument of terror is likely to remain a contentious point, highlighting deep divisions over how Canada should pursue economic development while upholding its commitments to reconciliation and safety for all communities.
