A First Nations consortium is planning to offer about $6.8 billion to buy a 51% stake in the Trans Mountain Pipelines Inc., which the federal government purchased in 2018 from Kinder Morgan Canada Limited (TSX:KML). Delbert Wapass, former Chief of Thunderchild First Nation 115b and current Vice-Chairman of the Indian Resource Council, is leading the effort as Executive Chairman of a group called Project Reconciliation. The planned bid by Wapass’ group was first reported by The Globe and Mail. Wapass told BNN Bloomberg that Project Reconciliation has met with investment banks and held a number of informal talks with government officials, adding that the group is within "striking distance" of making a formal bid. “We’re very close. If there was an announcement tomorrow or next week [by the federal government], we’d be ready. We’ve done a lot of work,” Wapass said in an interview with BNN Bloomberg’s Catherine Murray. He added that preliminary discussions with government officials – including the Deputy Minister of Finance – have been met with optimism. The group has already begun inviting First Nations groups in Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. to become partners in its bid for Trans Mountain. Wapass said that while the response has so far been positive, Wapass acknowledges that there will be opposition from some communities.