Post-Event Recap: The First Nations Major Projects Coalition

Overview

The First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) held their 7^th Annual conference ‘Our Collective Advantage: Indigenous Consent’ in Toronto on April 22-23, 2024. The conference was FNMPC’s biggest event by far, with over 1500 delegates, 200+ companies and over 450 Indigenous representatives. The main theme was showcasing how companies that honour and incorporate Indigenous consent across their business and supply chains hold a collective advantage over those who do not. Key topics including the unveiling of the National Indigenous Electrification Strategy, Free, Prior and Informed Consent, Canadian Mining and First Nations, and Indigenous women in finance. To learn more about the FNMPC, click here.

Conference Highlights

• In a fireside chat with FNMPC’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Mark Podlasly, the Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland gave further details on the Federal Indigenous loan guarantee program announced in Budget 2024. She said it was personally very important to her that the loan guarantee was sector agnostic, and hoped this would be the catalyst to get more major projects built.  
• FNMPC CEO, Niilo Edwards launched the National Indigenous Electrification Strategy. The strategy set out what the future of Canda’s electricity sector can look like and why stakeholders need to prepare for a range of Indigenous owned utilities in the future
• CIBC Commercial Banking’s Jaimie Lickers, SVP, Indigenous Markets, hosted a lunch with leading Indigenous women on how Indigenous values can improve sustainable investment practices. It was agreed that creating employment opportunities for young Indigenous people in the financial sector is critical for our shared success and for community capacity building.

The Bottom Line

• Relationships, relationships, relationships. Indigenous communities deeply value long-term relationships and the continuous building of trust between parties.
• ‘The road to net zero runs through Indigenous lands’
• FNMPC’s National Indigenous Electrification Strategy
• Reconciliation has at least three aspects: economic, cultural and environmental.
• Indigenous leaders think at least seven generations ahead when weighing up the impact of key decisions for their communities.
• Local capacity building is an important step to faster and more informed economic participation.