RC113 JulyAugust 2024 - Magazine - Page 40
PEOPLE & EVENTS
EVENTS
TORONTO
First Nations Major Projects
Coalition Annual Conference
THE FIRST NATIONS MAJOR PROJECTS
COALITION (FNMPC) held their 7th Annual
conference ‘Our Collective Advantage: Indigenous Consent’ in Toronto. The conference was FNMPC’s biggest event by far, with
over 1,500 delegates. 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.
In a 昀椀reside chat with FNMPC’s chief
sustainability o昀케cer, Mark Podlasly the Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland gave
further details on the federal government’s
National Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program announced in Budget 2024. The newly
announced program represents a commitment to ensure that large-scale projects
get built with the full participation of First
Nations whose lands they take place on.
Freeland said it was personally very
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important to her that the loan guarantee was
sector agnostic, and hoped this would be the
catalyst to get more major projects built.
“Indigenous economic participation is the
essential step to reconciliation and is going
to make [Canadian] major projects better
and built faster. Bringing prosperity not only
to Indigenous communities but all Canadians,” said Freeland.
FNMPC CEO, Niilo Edwards also announced the launch of the National Indigenous Electri昀椀cation 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.
“We found some very constructive and
helpful avenues to go down to ensure, as we
look to electrify Canada and the infrastructure that is required, that we can do it with
full Indigenous participation,” said Edwards.
During another panel, Chief Sharleen
Gale, chair of the FNMPC, and Dave McKay,
president and CEO of RBC, explored the
increasing in昀氀uence of Indigenous Nations
on the 昀椀nancial sector and the 昀氀ow of investment and its role in reconciliation.
Indigenous Nations are using this in昀氀uence to reclaim their economic power by
partnering—and, in some cases, leading—
the development of infrastructure and natural resource projects within their territories.
“Trillions of dollars of capital are available
to be invested in the transition, but it takes
time for the relationship to form. Until credibility is built through more success, and with
more successes comes momentum to re-invest
towards self-governance,” said McKay.
It was also announced that the 8th Annual
FNMPC Conference—Valuing Reconciliation
in Global Markets—will take place in Toronto April 28-29, 2025.
RENEWCANADA.NET
PATRICK HINTON
FNMPC’s chief sustainability officer, Mark Podlasly (left), and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland discuss the federal government’s National Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program.
