Western Indigenous Relations & Partnerships

In today’s environment, engaging meaningfully with Indigenous peoples requires more than simply identifying who may be affected by a project and fulfilling consultation obligations: it means respecting Indigenous groups as rights-holders and approaching them with a willingness for consultation, consent and consolidated discussion leading to relational partnerships.

This opening session will explore how governments and industry can build relationships right from the first conversation, through real examples of listening, respecting the different needs and traditions of Indigenous peoples, and adapting to feedback.

Topics of discussion include:

• Doing the right research before making first contact
  • Identifying the Indigenous groups with rights, interests and connections to the project area
• Approaching each Indigenous group differently, informed by their unique history, practical and unique cultural protocols
• Moving beyond a transactional approach by asking about community priorities, concerns, and aspirations
• Building trust from the first conversation by incorporating Indigenous knowledge, priorities and concerns into project planning
  • Creating a pathway toward long-term relationships based on building mutual equitable opportunities rather than project-by-project consultation

As Indigenous Organizations increasingly exercise their economic sovereignty, participation in natural resource development is evolving from consultation and benefit agreements toward equity ownership and Indigenous-led investment. But not every project, or investment structure, is the right fit for every Nation.

This session will provide a high-level look at the current investment landscape and the opportunities, financing models and partnerships available to Indigenous groups seeking to take an ownership position in natural resource projects.

Topics of discussion include:

• Assessing the national and international market: where are the strongest investment opportunities emerging in Western Canada’s natural resources sector, and internationally?
  • Considering how the Jay Treaty, geopolitics, tariffs and trade policies impact supply chains and investment opportunities
• Determining where ownership makes strategic and economic sense and aligns with community priorities and long-term goals
• Learning the available sources of capital and different approaches to structuring ownership or investment
  • Understanding what investors and lenders look for when evaluating Indigenous-led projects
• Practical considerations for building the internal capacity to become an effective project owner

Indigenous Monitoring and Advisory Committees (IAMCs) are an important model for bringing Indigenous knowledge, community priorities and on-the-ground oversight into the regulation and monitoring of major resource projects. With Indigenous oversight, projects will benefit from earlier identification of environmental concerns, stronger emergency preparedness, and greater trust through collaboration with nations on the economic and employment opportunities that the project brings.

Drawing on examples such as the Line 3 and Trans Mountain IAMCs, this session will examine why these committees work, what makes them effective, and how their role can evolve throughout the project lifecycle.

Topics of discussion include:

• Understanding how Indigenous monitoring can strengthen environmental protection, safety and regulatory oversight
• Assessing what makes IAMCs successful
  • Determining the right scope for Indigenous oversight
  • Examining when specialized subcommittees or working groups can make oversight more effective
• Building meaningful participation from affected Nations
  • Engaging early to understand how they want to participate in project oversight
  • Creating opportunities for Indigenous monitors, technical experts, Elders, knowledge keepers and other community members to contribute their knowledge and build capacity

With more than 500 major projects under construction or planned over the next decade across the energy, forestry and mining sectors, alongside growing investment in transportation and other infrastructure, competition for labour, materials and construction capacity is intensifying. Rising costs, tariffs, supply-chain vulnerabilities and skilled labour shortages threaten project budgets and schedules, creating a need for proactive risk management and resilient procurement strategies.

This session will examine practical approaches to anticipating and mitigating procurement, supply chain and workforce risks, strengthening contractor relationships and preparing for construction delays.

Topics of discussion include:

• Establishing clear expectations and effective working relationships with contractors, subcontractors and service providers to mitigate execution risks
• Strengthening procurement strategies and supply chain resilience to manage cost escalation, tariffs, material shortages and long lead times
• Addressing skilled labour shortages through workforce planning, training partnerships and Indigenous employment initiatives
• Anticipating construction delays and developing contingency strategies to protect project budgets and schedules

With the Alberta government advancing a referendum on separation from Canada, now is an important time to revisit the Indigenous rights, Treaty relationships and constitutional principles that underpin Canada’s legal order.

This session will provide a primer on the legal frameworks that govern those relationships and examine why Alberta cannot unilaterally separate from Canada without confronting Indigenous sovereignty, Treaty obligations, section 35 rights and constitutional principles.

Topics of discussion include:

• Unpacking Alberta’s provincial secession vote and the lawsuits brought by Indigenous groups challenging the vote
• Revisiting the constitutional framework for secession: Understanding the Supreme Court’s Reference re Secession of Quebec and why Alberta cannot treat secession as simply a matter of provincial political will
• Understanding how an Alberta secession would violate Treaty rights and Indigenous sovereignty
  • Examining the pre-existing Treaty relationships, especially the Jay Treaty, and the Indigenous rights that Alberta must recognize
• Examining section 35 and the Crown’s obligations
  • Revisiting legal foundations of the duty to consult and accommodate
• Analyzing Indigenous self-determination and consent
  • Exploring the distinction between Alberta’s claim to provincial secession and Indigenous Peoples’ inherent rights to self-determination, including the implications of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

In Canadian corporate culture, success is often defined by transactional benefits leading to healthy profits, KPIs, and other measurable metrics. To Indigenous peoples, success may also mean those things, but it may refer to things that are not easily measured.

This session will explore real examples of short and long term “success” for both proponents and Indigenous communities.

Topics of discussion include:

• Appreciating how environmental stewardship, cultural priorities and community-defined outcomes can remain central to measuring success throughout and beyond the project lifecycle
• Measuring the short- and long-term value created through Indigenous engagement, consent and relational partnerships
  • Evaluating outcomes such as Indigenous employment, training and certification, procurement and investment in communities
  • Assessing less tangible outcomes: increased youth participation, knowledge transfer, community capacity and strengthened relationships
• Considering how proponents and communities can determine whether benefits are reaching the people, priorities and generations they are intended to serve
• Exploring how Indigenous communities can leverage project benefits to build long-term capacity, economic opportunities and self-determination

Over the summer of 2026, the federal government released two discussion papers, Getting Major Projects Built in Canada and Strengthening One Canadian Economy through Trade and Transportation. These papers proposed a broad redesign of how major projects will be reviewed and approved in Canada. At the same time, the federal government announced it plans to fast-track the West Coast Oil Pipeline under the Building Canada Act.

This session will explore the discussion papers, the West Coast Oil Pipeline, the feedback each has received, and explore the potential impact of the proposed reforms and Pipeline on Indigenous consultation and engagement.

Topics of discussion include:

• Understanding the major changes proposed by the discussion papers Getting Major Projects Built in Canada and Strengthening One Canadian Economy through Trade and Transportation
  • E.g., reduced timelines for federal impact assessments and permit reviews; one Crown consultation process; one project decision; a single project authority; Federal Economic Zones, and changes to permit procedure
• Reviewing project details for the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline as a new project, fast-tracked project under the Building Canada Act
• Acknowledging the concerns raised by Indigenous peoples, environmental groups, and other stakeholders for the proposed reforms as well as the public comments for the West Coast Oil Pipeline
• Anticipating what to expect and how to prepare for the new legislation
• Comparing the federal policy to British Columbia’s Infrastructure Projects Act and Alberta’s Memorandum of Understanding with the government, including the Cooperation Agreement on Impact Assessments