The past decade has seen a transformation in Indigenous engagement in the natural resource economy. Most recently, two Indigenous-led groups have emerged as prime bidders for the TransMountain Pipeline.
This development is far from unexpected. For years, Indigenous communities have benefited from royalty payments, business opportunities and employment prospects.
However, with the oil and gas industry at a global crossroads, so too is the future of Indigenous economic empowerment through the sector. Whether it is high profile environmental challenges obstructing pipeline construction or an ever changing and punitive regulatory environment, the risks to natural resource development are threatening productive Indigenous engagement with industry.
To make sense of these issues, MLI hosted a webinar discussion that brought together leading experts in Indigenous economic involvement in the oil and gas industry. To learn more about this important topic, check out Ken Coates’ paper titled “How far we’ve come: Indigenous engagement with the Canadian energy economy.”
Speakers
- Stephen Buffalo, President and CEO, Indian Resource Council
- JP Gladu, President of the Alberta to Alaska Railway
- Heather Exner-Pirot, Research Advisor, Indigenous Resource Network
- Ken Coates, Munk Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute (moderator)
A list of bios for all the speakers is available here.
