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Building partnerships for Indigenous economic reconciliation
State of the Canadian Electricity Industry 2022 Accelerate Net Zero
Theme 4 Time to Accelerate Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
As Canada looks ahead to 2022 and beyond, the electricity industry will play a pivotal role in the advancement of Indigenous economic reconciliation in Canada. According to the report “Accelerating Transition” by Indigenous Clean Energy, there are nearly 2,500 Indigenous-affiliated clean energy projects in operation or being planned, including 197 medium-to-large renewable generation projects.49
These projects represent a pathway for economic reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. The Conference Board of Canada has also estimated that the electricity industry will need to invest $1.7 trillion by 2050 to ensure a resilient, low-carbon energy future.50 This unprecedented investment requirement represents a tremendous opportunity for Indigenous communities and the Electricity Canada’s member companies.
TC Energy’s Action Plan: Key Highlights
• Work with Indigenous leaders to explore the development of an advisory council to provide advice to the leadership team and help guide reconciliation efforts. • Deliver tailored training to the company’s Board of Directors that is focused on the history and cultures of Indigenous peoples. • Set Indigenous contracting targets to enhance the participation of Indigenous businesses in the execution of projects and operational activities. • Develop a framework to identify project equity opportunities with
Indigenous groups. Among the many actions by Electricity Canada members in 2021, TC Energy and Ontario Power Generation also launched their own public reconciliation action plans,51 specifying a set of tangible actions to advance cultural awareness among management and employees; project partnerships; employment; and supply chain opportunities. While many Electricity Canada member companies have been taking these measures for years, these formal commitments provide a new and transparent approach to pursuing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Advancing these partnerships and reconciliation efforts also requires sustained support from all levels of government. The federal government, for instance, must work to provide clear and unambiguous expectations around Indigenous consultation and engagement in major projects. The provincial governments and their energy regulators also have an important role to play in enabling interested companies to expand their operations to northern and remote areas despite the lack of critical mass in these regions. Supporting these economic opportunities is crucial, since access to clean, safe and reliable electricity is a precursor for clean water, better education, quality healthcare services, more economic development and employment and, ultimately, a better quality of life for many Indigenous communities.
