The Canadian Budget and the US Midterm election dominated the news. On the US front it was great to see the number of Native American women elected to Federal, State and Tribal positions. The Canadian budget had a focus on quality of life and major project financing for Indigenous communities.
2 Native American women make history in 2026 midterm elections – CBS News
AFN, ITK, MNC press feds to come through in upcoming budget
Infrastructure gap and specific claims top issues for Assembly of First Nations for federal budget
Key aspects of the Federal Budget for major projects summarized in part here:Quinn Public Affairs Inc.
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First Nations–First Ministers Meeting: Real Change or More of the Same?
Last week’s First Nations–First Ministers Meeting was widely described as historic.
But history shows that the long-term implications — not the headlines — will determine whether this moment becomes real change or more of the same.
Capital access, governance tools, and financing structures will decide who gets to build, who gets to own, and who gets left out.
Most headlines focused on the proposed First Nations Sovereign Wealth Fund.
But economic development professionals may be watching something else:
Expanded lending authority for the First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA).
Since 2014, FNFA has provided $5.69 billion in affordable financing.
That investment has generated an estimated $12.08 billion in economic activity and supported the creation of approximately 52,000 jobs across Canada.
Source: https://lnkd.in/eyVMdMue
If one institution can generate that scale of impact in just over a decade, how large could the Indigenous economy become with the right tools, capital, and opportunities?
Expanded FNFA authority could help First Nations:
• Invest in equity
• Build infrastructure
• Develop community-owned businesses
• Create long-term revenue assets
Access to capital is critical.
Access to viable opportunities is equally important.
The long-term question is whether expanded FNFA tools will translate into expanded economic participation — and whether last week’s meeting becomes a turning point or another ambitious announcement that falls short.
Canada Indigenous Group Expects Lending Boom With New Projects on Horizon – Bloomberg
K’ómoks First Nation buys Vancouver Island’s 40 Knots Winery | CBC News
Major Sunshine Coast forestry operation bought for $80M by Tla’amin Nation | CBC News
DRUM BEATS
Blackstone Leads C$4.2 Billion Investment in Canada’s Largest LNG Terminal
| Blackstone and four of Canada’s largest institutional investors have agreed to pay C$4.2 billion for a 49.9 per cent stake in a Mitsubishi Corporation subsidiary that holds its 15 per cent interest in LNG Canada, the country’s first and only large-scale liquefied natural gas export terminal, in Kitimat, British Columbia.The investor group includes Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, Investment Management Corporation of Ontario and Public Sector Pension Investment Board. Mitsubishi will retain control of the subsidiary and continue to receive 2.1 million tonnes of LNG annually from the facility under its existing agreement.The transaction comes weeks after Shell and its four joint venture partners confirmed the Phase 2 expansion of LNG Canada. The project will double annual output from 14 million to 28 million tonnes, backed by C$34.6 billion in private capital.First Nations already hold an equity stake in the project. Gitga’at, Gitxaała, Haisla, Kitselas and Kitsumkalum hold ownership through MNT Investments LP, a structure established before the expansion decision. Once completed, the expanded facility will rank among the world’s largest LNG terminals, connecting Canadian natural gas to buyers across the Indo-Pacific and Europe. |
| First Nations Finance Authority Issues C$1.19 Billion Bond, Its Largest Ever |
| The First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA) has increased its 2032 bond by approximately C$840 million, bringing the total issue to roughly C$1.19 billion, which is the largest bond in the authority’s history. FNFA expects lending activity to accelerate as resource and infrastructure projects advance across Canada.FNFA provides financing to First Nations governments across Canada. Since its establishment, it has deployed more than C$4 billion while maintaining investment-grade credit ratings and a record of zero defaults.The bond increase comes as federal and provincial loan guarantee programmes expand opportunities for First Nations to take equity stakes in major projects. With access to capital markets at scale, FNFA can raise financing on terms that reflect its credit standing. |
| Canada’s Loan Guarantee Backs Tla’amin Nation’s C$80 Million Acquisition of British Columbia Forestry Operation |
| A federal loan guarantee has enabled the Tla’amin Nation to acquire full ownership of the Stillwater Forest Operation near Powell River, British Columbia, in a transaction valued at approximately C$80 million. The operation spans approximately 1,540 square kilometres of Tla’amin traditional territory on the Sunshine Coast. The acquisition also includes a long-term fibre supply agreement with Western Forest Products, ensuring continued supply for the company’s coastal manufacturing operations.The transaction was backed by the Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation. Its president, Kristan Straub, said the acquisition puts the Tla’amin Nation “in the driver’s seat of a major forestry operation”. He also noted that access to affordable capital has long been a barrier for Indigenous communities seeking greater ownership of projects on their territories.The same financing mechanism is also supporting Indigenous equity participation in major energy, mining and infrastructure projects across Canada. |
| Budget 2026 Names Fourth Indigenous Loan Guarantee and Proposes New FNFA Financing Pilot |
| Budget 2026, tabled on Thursday, confirms the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Programme at C$10 billion and reports C$1.2 billion in guarantees now supporting Indigenous ownership. The Tla’amin Nation’s Stillwater acquisition is named as the fourth guarantee issued. A fifth, for an oil and gas project, is under negotiation.The budget proposes C$500 million over 10 years for a Monetisation Pilot, a First Nations-led infrastructure financing model that would secure upfront financing through the First Nations Finance Authority with support from the First Nations Infrastructure Institute. It also restates the September offer to 128 Indigenous groups for a collective 15 per cent stake in Trans Mountain Corporation and confirms a minimum 10 per cent Indigenous ownership interest in the Pacific Link pipeline.Métis and Inuit organisations have noted that the reconciliation chapter is weighted towards First Nations on-reserve infrastructure, with Métis priorities addressed largely through the C$806.7 million renewal of child welfare legislation funding and Inuit priorities through the C$575 million renewal of the Inuit Child First Initiative. |
| Honouring Service and Sacrifice |
On 8 November, Canada marks National Indigenous Veterans Day. On 11 November, Canadians observe Remembrance Day.
Indigenous peoples have fought alongside and for Canada since before the country existed, from the alliances of New France through to the defence of Quebec during the American Revolutionary War, both world wars, the Korean War and NATO deployments. That service continues today through the Canadian Rangers, who remain the country’s primary military presence across the north.
Their contributions to the defence of Canada helped build the country whose prosperity and economic future this newsletter exists to support.
Anishinabek Nation celebrates the 10th anniversary of Treaties Recognition Week – Anishinabek News
Saddle Lake Cree Nation is achieving educational sovereignty – Alberta Native News
Physician writes the realities that Indigenous youth live with – Windspeaker.com
Akwesasne family carries on 16th century Haudenosaunee tradition
Traditional Cree and Saulteaux knowledge of Sask. birds finds nesting place in new book | CBC News
Remediation of Yukon’s Faro mine expected to begin in 2029
Cree endurance athletes push beyond limits across Quebec | CBC News
73-year-old Kanien’kéha speaker is McGill’s 1st PhD in Indigenous language revitalization | CBC News
Chiefs advocate for improvements to northern Ontario airports – Windspeaker.com
Jesse Kline: Canada can’t build anything — and the unions want to keep it that way
Professor Marcia Langton to convene national forum … | National Indigenous Times
DRIPA: To Repeal or Retain and The Duty to Consult
Northern Sask chiefs press Ottawa for action on Treaty rights and community needs – MBC Radio
B.C. First Nations file legal challenges of federal decision on Pacific Link pipeline
Repealing DRIPA won’t remedy B.C.’s industry problems, say First Nations leaders | CBC News
