The First Ministers Meeting dominated the news. The important issues discussed were overshadowed by comments about abolishing the Indian Act. Treaty communities from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta were more concerned about the Natural Resources Transfer Act and other communities were concerned about Bill C-39. Discussions will be ongoing pertaining to these issues and other pressing concerns like policing which were raised. A looming issue pertaining to the Conservative election result in BC and their stance on DRIPA dominated the news as well. Postings below:
Educators explore Indigenous knowledge and land-based learning at KEB conference – Anishinabek News
Success Stories – The National Indigenous Economic Development Board
DRUM BEATS
| Carney Opens Talks on First Nations Sovereign Wealth Fund to Expand First Nations Project Ownership |
| Prime Minister Mark Carney convened the first meeting between First Nations leaders and First Ministers in two decades on 26 October. The meeting opened discussions on a proposed First Nations Sovereign Wealth Fund that would give Indigenous communities a direct equity stake in major projects.The fund could establish a new institutional capital pool alongside the sovereign, pension and infrastructure funds already financing Canadian resource and infrastructure projects. The fund was first proposed by Chippewas of the Thames First Nation.Ottawa will also amend the First Nations Fiscal Management Act to expand the First Nations Finance Authority’s lending powers, improving communities’ access to financing for equity stakes in major projects.Other commitments include C$260 million over four years for a Partnerships for Indigenous Workforce Readiness Fund, more than C$2.5 billion over five years for emergency management, and over C$630 million to renew First Nations policing agreements.Nearly 200 Chiefs and Indigenous leaders attended alongside provincial and territorial premiers. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak described the meeting as a successful dialogue that secured commitments to advance First Nations priorities and Canada’s economic development. |
| Dubai’s DP World Signs MOU on Indigenous-Owned Port of Churchill DP World has signed a memorandum of understanding with Arctic Gateway Group which operates the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay Railway, and CentrePort Canada. The agreement explores an integrated transportation corridor linking Manitoba to DP World’s global logistics network.Arctic Gateway Group is owned by 41 First Nations and northern community shareholders. The Churchill route could cut shipping times to Europe by three days compared with routes through the St Lawrence or US eastern seaboard.Churchill resumed grain shipments in September, its first since 2020, and now handles critical minerals, grain, potash and supplies for Nunavut. Manitoba has invested C$87.5 million in the port, while federal and provincial funding for port and rail improvements has reached C$262.5 million At the inland end of the corridor, CentrePort Canada, which connects Churchill’s rail line to the national freight network, has attracted approximately C$1.5 billion in private investment.DP World operates terminals in Prince Rupert and Vancouver, handles more than one million TEUs in Canada and recently secured a 40-year concession at the Port of Montreal. Canada Hosts EU Summit in Montreal Canada hosted the Canada-EU Summit in Montréal on 29 and 30 October, marking a significant step in strengthening transatlantic economic and strategic ties. The summit comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney signals progress in trade discussions with Washington, saying the US is “coming closer to our position.”Canada is the only non-European country participating in the EU’s C$236 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence procurement programme, giving Canadian firms preferential access to EU defence contracts. Both sides also announced measures to accelerate investment in critical mineral extraction, strengthen supply chains and establish strategic stockpiles of raw materials.The partnership could pave the way for Canada to become the EU’s first associate member. The latest draft declaration, however, refers to an “ever closer association”, with full terms expected by the 2027 summit.The renewed partnership also supports Canada’s broader efforts to diversify its trade relationships. With nearly 80 per cent of Canadian exports currently destined for the US, closer economic ties with Europe offer an additional avenue for market access and investment.EU and Canadian leaders used the summit to launch an “Alliance for the Future”, a framework for shared prosperity and economic security covering critical minerals, energy supply, defence, technology and financial services.The critical minerals, LNG and infrastructure corridors central to Canada’s trade and energy ambitions are located largely on Indigenous territories, including the Ring of Fire, Churchill, and the Arctic Security Corridor. Ottawa and Ontario Commit C$8.7 Billion to Steel, Auto and Critical Minerals as US Tariffs Persist Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have announced a joint C$8.7 billion support package for Ontario’s steel, automotive and critical minerals sectors as US tariffs continue to affect the province’s industrial base. Canadian automotive exports to the US have fallen by more than 10 per cent since the tariffs took effect. The package includes a Joint Steel Action Fund of C$5.22 billion over five years for comprising C$3.55 billion in federal funding and C$1.67 billion from Ontario. A further C$2.5 billion over two years will support large-scale automotive capital projects, split between C$1.5 billion federally and C$1 billion provincially.Ottawa and Ontario will also each contribute up to C$1 billion towards access roads to the Ring of Fire critical minerals region. The plan also aims to diversify trade and expand overseas markets for Canadian steel, while accelerating critical minerals development in northern Ontario, where opening a mine has historically taken more than 15 years. Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation are co-proponents of the road projects. Samsung Unveils Floating LNG Platform for Canadian Market South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has unveiled a standardised floating LNG platform for the Canadian market at a Vancouver forum.Having secured seven of the 11 newbuild floating LNG (FLNG) orders worldwide, SHI is applying its engineering experience to a repeatable platform design aimed at reducing project costs and development timelines. Its showcase project is Cedar LNG, the majority Haisla Nation-owned facility off Kitimat, British Columbia. More than 70 per cent complete, the project remains on track for delivery by late 2028. Its 50,000-tonne floating unit will process and store natural gas offshore before transferring LNG to carriers for export. Once operational, it will be the world’s first majority Indigenous-owned LNG facility.SHI also plans to expand beyond its traditional engineering, procurement and construction role, providing solutions from early project development and working with local partners, including First Nations. 🎧 On This Week’s Drumbeats, Part 2 of 2: When to Say No and Why Indigenous Partners Plan for 100 yearsNot every deal now being offered to First Nations will deliver what communities expect. So how does a nation tell a good partnership from a bad one, and what should a lender in London or Frankfurt understand about sitting across the table from an Indigenous equity partner for the first time? Colby Delorme is the President of Imagination Group, a Calgary-based Indigenous-led firm that has worked with more than 300 Indigenous governments and organisations across Canada. Last week, he questioned whether the current wave of Indigenous equity deals is built to last. In this special episode, he returns for Part 2 of his conversation with Mark where he explains the red flags he looks for when potential partners come forward, and a new generation of Indigenous leaders arriving at the negotiating table with MBAs, professional experience and the same commercial fluency as their counterparts. Below are edited excerpts from the conversation. Mark: And you’re right, a lot of these might not pan out. Now, is that also because the advice they’re getting at this stage isn’t well rounded and they’re relying on people who’ve done it before?Colby: I think all of us as consultants and as lawyers need to start saying no when a community comes to us and says, we were brought this opportunity, we want to do it, we want you to vet it. A lot of us have got enough experience to say it’s just a bad deal. Don’t spend a million and a half dollars vetting this opportunity. We need to stop looking at what our billable rates are and start looking at what’s best for the community.Mark: And how do you know if the other side is ready? There must be a few signals as soon as the meeting starts. So yes, if they whip out the contract, that’s clearly a signal they’ve missed the opportunity.Colby: I think some of the things you hear is, we need to do this by X date. That’s a massive red flag. Or, this opportunity is right now, we already have these communities signed up. A lot of what our communities, especially First Nations, are talking about is that we want to be there to determine how these things progress. We want to be at that table at the planning stage, not when something has already been predetermined.Mark: So for a project sponsor or lender sitting in London or Frankfurt or Singapore or Hong Kong, who has never worked alongside an Indigenous equity partner in Canada, what’s the one thing about how Indigenous nations approach these partnerships that you think would surprise them the most?Colby: You look at all the joint venture organisations that are growing now. They’re looking at the numbers and they’re looking at the exit strategy. That exit strategy is five years, ten years out. Everyone has to make money. But when you have someone saying, yes, I am interested in you coming into my traditional territory, mining these rare earth minerals and planning to support the world over the next 50 or 100 years, I want to look at this not from a project runway perspective, but what are the lasting impacts and opportunities for both of us on this journey.Colby: I think the Indigenous participation will move towards ownership. It might still be in the form of some partnerships, but I think it will be true partnerships where the risk, the profit, everything is shared. I have never seen so many Indigenous people who are formally educated. There are some chief and councils that I work with now, every member of council, they all have degrees. They have MBAs. They are economists. They are bringing that knowledge back to their communities. They are going to realise that there are equal people sitting across the table. And they are going to tell you why they want something a certain way, and they are going to be using your language.This conversation has been edited for brevity. You can listen to Part 2, and catch up on Part 1, on The Drumbeats Podcast. Looking Ahead Canada’s investment landscape is evolving on several fronts. Closer ties with Europe are opening new avenues for trade, capital and strategic cooperation, while renewed engagement with Washington continues to shape Canada’s trade priorities. The proposed First Nations Sovereign Wealth Fund, expanded lending powers and new infrastructure commitments are creating further pathways for Indigenous participation in major projects. Meanwhile, the Haisla Nation’s Cedar LNG facility, now more than 70 per cent complete, continues to advance toward becoming the world’s first Indigenous majority-owned LNG export operation.Together, these developments point to a broader effort to strengthen Canada’s economic position through trade diversification, infrastructure expansion and deeper Indigenous equity ownership.We’ll be back next week with more news and insights shaping Indigenous investment in Canada. |
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh weaving returns home from ‘New York’ museum
Carney open to conversations around abolishing the Indian Act
ABOLISH THE INDIAN ACT? THEN WHAT IS THE PLAN?
First and foremost, this conversation cannot be dictated by the Premier of one
province. The Indian Act involves complex legal, treaty, constitutional, and
fiduciary obligations that the federal government holds toward First Nations
peoples across Canada.
Let’s be clear: the Indian Act was created as a tool of colonialism, designed
to control, oppress, assimilate, and segregate Indigenous peoples. It has
caused generations of harm and continues to impact our Nations today.
However, the Act has also become a double-edged sword. Despite its colonial
origins, certain rights, protections, and benefits have become connected to it,
including aspects of housing, health services, education, and tax exemptions.
These benefits are not always accessible or guaranteed, but they remain
important to many First Nations people and families.
So, if we are talking about abolishing the Indian Act, we must also be talking
about what comes next.
What legal protections will replace it? What happens to existing rights, treaty
obligations, and federal fiduciary responsibilities? What sovereign governing
structures, laws, and systems will be established to support our Nations? Who
will protect our rights and ensure that our people are not left vulnerable in
the process?
These are not questions that can be answered by a provincial government, a
federal government, or even a national lobbying organization such as the
Assembly of First Nations on behalf of every individual Nation.
Our Nations are distinct. We have our own histories, laws, territories,
cultures, governance systems, and inherent rights.
Any discussion about abolishing the Indian Act must begin with our own Chiefs,
our own governments, our own Elders, our own Knowledge Keepers, and our own
people. It must be a genuine Nation-to-Nation process that respects our
inherent sovereignty and our right to determine our own futures.
As a Tahltan woman, I believe we must have the opportunity to develop and
establish our own governing framework, according to our own laws, values,
traditions, and priorities. We must be prepared to determine what replaces the
Indian Act before anyone expects us to support its elimination.
We cannot simply dismantle a system without ensuring that our Nations have the
authority, resources, legal protections, and governing structures necessary to
move forward on our own terms.
Our sovereignty is not something that governments get to grant us, define for
us, or take away from us.
In Tahltan, we have a principle that speaks directly to this:
ONLY TAHLTANS SPEAK FOR TAHLTANS.
Our future must be determined by our own people, through our own processes,
guided by our own laws and inherent rights.
Mēduh Cho, Annita McPhee, Matriarch & Knowledge Keeper,Tahltan Nation
Treaty One opens First Nations-led business training centre
No offshore wind call for bids until consultation with Mi’kmaq is complete: regulator | CBC News
Echoes of Idle No More as Carney set to meet with First Nations – Winnipeg Free Press
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-treaty-negotiations-referendum-first-nations-gordon-campbell
B.C. First Nations chief warns ripping up DRIPA is a ‘declaration of war’ | Globalnews.ca
B.C. Conservatives committed to repealing DRIPA
Repealing DRIPA won’t remedy B.C.’s industry problems, say First Nations leaders | CBC News
The Economics of UNDRIP: Indigenous Rights Are Canada’s Strongest Economic Asset | LinkedIn
Indigenous scholars allege racism, poor treatment at University of Ottawa | CBC News
