Natural Resources Committee on March 10th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Welcome back, colleagues. We're going to resume our meeting.

I'd like to welcome our witness this afternoon, Victoria Pruden, president of the Métis National Council.

Noah Goslin is here in person.

I have a few comments for the benefit of our witnesses.

Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. I will remind you that all comments should be directed through the chair.

Ms. Pruden, you will have five minutes for your opening remarks, after which we will open the floor to questions. Because we had a vote, our time is somewhat constrained, so we'll have a good quality half-hour with you. I'm sure that we'll learn a lot from one another.

Please proceed.

[Victoria Pruden, President, Métis National Council]

Thank you, Chair.

First off, I would like to thank very much the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources for the invitation to be a witness today to speak about Canada's study on Canadian energy exports.

As you mentioned, Chair, my name is Victoria Pruden. I'm a proud seventh-generation Métis Michif woman with deep roots extending from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Pembina territory down in the Dakotas. I have a long history personally and also as a representative politically and as a technician across the Métis nation during my tenure. I'm celebrating about 28 years of representation for the Métis nations that I belong to. I'm calling in today from Treaty 6 territory, amiskwaciwâskahikan, Edmonton, which was actually named by my ancestor who was the chief factor at Fort Edmonton, previously Beaver Hills House.

This is also the traditional territory of the Métis as well, as represented by Otipemisiwak Métis government within the Métis Nation of Alberta and occupied by Métis Settlements General Council and other recognized section 35 rights-bearing Métis communities.

I'm very proud to serve as president of the Métis National Council, the recognized national and international representative of the Métis nation in Canada since 1983, the year after we were recognized in section 35.

We recognize that Canada's energy sector plays a major role in the national economy and global energy supply. We also recognize that the majority of energy exports from Canada currently go to the United States and that the current geopolitical uncertainty underscores the importance of diversifying our partnerships. Many of the energy exports take place across the Métis historic homeland, which extends across the Prairies and contiguous parts of Ontario, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.

As a result, the Métis nation has a direct interest in discussions regarding Canada's energy exports, related infrastructure development and the economic and environmental impacts of these activities. It's very important that any study undertaken by this committee recognize that Métis workers, businesses and communities are already deeply entwined in Canada's energy system. Many of our Métis citizens work across the energy sector in both renewable and non-renewable industries, including, of course, oil and gas and clean energy projects, and they contribute as skilled tradespeople supporting energy supply chains across this country.

Our most recent study on the status of the Métis economy shows that the Métis economy is integral to Canada's economy. The Métis economy produced $21 billion in GDP in 2015, and Métis businesses generated approximately $25.4 billion in revenue in 2020. Those are the most recent statistics that we were able to glean from this report. Additionally, Métis citizens show high labour force participation, with Métis citizens recording an employment rate of about 61% in 2021 and an unemployment rate of 11.4%. These figures demonstrate that both significant contributions are there.

However, we're also vulnerable to gaps in economic participation. Métis governments themselves are increasingly participating in energy development through partnerships, procurement opportunities and project ownership across the country. This trend is particularly strong in the renewable sector, where 85% of clean grid projects have included a degree of indigenous ownership, reflecting how indigenous governments are becoming key partners in Canada's energy transition.

I was listening in earlier. We know what a priority it is.

I want to talk about a strong example of renewable energy. Here in Alberta, where I'm calling in from today, the Otipemisiwak Métis government has a Métis Crossing solar project that is called salay prayzaan. It's a 4.86-megawatt community generation solar installation that will be the largest northern grid-connected solar project of its size in Alberta, demonstrating a very positive case study about how Métis-led projects can contribute directly to Canada's clean energy as well as to local economic development.

For those of you who have ever been there, you know that it supplies energy not only to the amazing infrastructure at Métis Crossing but also to the local community of Smoky Lake municipality. It's an excellent example of renewable energy that can be Métis-led and contribute greatly.

In order to access opportunities like this, many Métis governments rely on mechanisms such as the indigenous loan guarantee program to facilitate capital investment and support Métis as full partners in energy infrastructure. However, it's critical to include distinctions-based funding to support equitable access to energy infrastructure projects. This was one of the priorities definitely underlined in the “What We Heard Report” when Métis leaders met with Prime Minister Mark Carney and several cabinet ministers last year.

Indigenous participation is too often collapsed into a single category. Disaggregated data, including Métis-specific labour and business metrics, is essential to understand who benefits from energy exports and where these gaps still remain. We encourage you to centre the study on the understanding of the special nature of the indigenous-Crown relationship, reminding all of us, as we know, that Canada has a constitutional obligation under section 35 to act in a manner consistent with the honour of the Crown with respect to the duty to consult and, where appropriate, accommodate indigenous peoples before, during and after development.

Separate but related is section 5 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which states that “Canada must, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, take all measures necessary to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the [United Nations] Declaration [on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples]”. As such, the duty to consult on section 5 consultation and co-operation commitments embedded in UNDA must guide this study and its recommendations.

Ensuring fair participation is an important part of advancing economic reconciliation with indigenous peoples. Therefore, we encourage the committee to examine examples across Canada where proper consultation and indigenous equity participation have occurred very successfully, as well as where indigenous communities were not meaningfully included. This will help provide a balanced and holistic understanding of how Canada's energy export systems interact with indigenous rights, interests and economic participation.

In closing, I want to bring to the committee's attention that large extractive projects and the transient workforce, which used to be referred to as “man camps,” always bring heightened risks of sexual and gender-based violence against indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQQI+ people and vulnerable men, as documented by the national inquiry and reaffirmed by Parliament's status of women committee. We had a wonderful presentation a few weeks ago at the federal-provincial-territorial table on MMIWG2S+, where we saw a very positive example in British Columbia of a partnership between first nations and private industry to successfully enhance safety in the community.

In response to calls for justice 13.1 to 13.5, we urge governments and industry to embed gender-based socio-economic impact assessments, safety plans and concrete mitigation at every stage of project planning, approval and monitoring. This is critical when we seek to understand the role of extractive industries and indigenous peoples. Again, there are some very positive examples out there of how industry has partnered with indigenous communities to really make that happen.

Kinana'skomitina'wa'w. I really look forward to your questions, and I thank you again for this opportunity to join you virtually today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Thank you so much for your testimony this morning.

Colleagues, as you know, we're a little tight for time this morning, so I'm recommending we do just a first round with five minutes each, and that'll get us out of here around a quarter after one.

With that, Mrs. Stubbs, you're first up.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you for your powerful presence and words here, and also for highlighting Métis Crossing in my riding in Lakeland and the project going on there. I am certainly proud to represent the four Métis settlements in Lakeland, as well as the Métis people who are members of the Métis Nation of Alberta right across the region I come from. Your testimony struck near and dear to my heart. All those Métis communities are, as you thoroughly outlined, involved in one way or another in energy development in my backyard and all throughout Lakeland.

You noted—and I have some questions for you about this—that, in 2016, it was affirmed that Métis and Inuit peoples have section 35 rights, and this corresponds to the federal Crown's irrefutable duty to consult.

I want to note that, during the debates on Bill C-69, Conservatives supported the Liberals' claim that they were going to deliver capacity funding for indigenous people's full participation in the regulatory process in Canada.

I would like to know whether, since all that time, that capacity funding has flowed to communities on the ground. Has it made a difference in terms of the development of Bill C-5? That's also extremely important. The Prime Minister says that indigenous people are at the core of Bill C-5. I raised many concerns relating to indigenous consultation and the Crown's delivery of their duty during the debates on that. Has that been your experience?

Maybe you could touch on those two things, since they are interrelated, I think.

[Victoria Pruden]

Thank you so much for your comments.

Our section 35 rights were affirmed in 1982 in the Constitution, and in 2016. Of course, we're celebrating 10 years since the Daniels decision, which affirmed federal fiduciary responsibility for programs, services and investments in support of Métis people, and that this must flow through Métis governments.

Unfortunately, we haven't seen as much concrete action and investments for Métis governments as we would have liked. It absolutely needs action. While there has been some progress made, we haven't seen renewed investments for Métis capital corporations. We haven't seen distinctions-based commitments in terms of absolutely essential programs, which is related to equity investment for Métis governments and recognized section 35 Métis rights-bearing communities.

I thank you so much for highlighting the gaps in the implementation of the Daniels decision, which are very relevant to Bill C-5 and major projects.

Have I adequately answered?

There's a priority there that needs to be explored, and we certainly appreciate your in-depth understanding of how we may work together to ensure that it happens. The time is now. We can't be left behind.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

I agree entirely, and thank you for this affirmation. It is why I fought so hard during the debates on Bill C-69 and Bill C-5 in order to ensure that the Crown had a plan to fulfill its duty to consult. The only way to get to yes on major projects, in a way all Canadians want now more than ever, is to get there in a good way, through a two-way dynamic with decision-makers at the table, with rights respected and with the federal Crown delivering on its irrefutable duty.

You touched on some pathways and specifics about how this can be done well. I wonder if your organization, or any of its governing nations, has been consulted yet on the 11 projects the Liberals have announced they've referred to the Major Projects Office.

Also, do you want to expand on any of those other specific pathways, or comment more on the way the federal government can live up to the promises, in its own words, that it made to indigenous people and Canadians in every single corner of the country?

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

We have about 30 seconds, Ms. Pruden.

[Victoria Pruden]

Thank you again for your in-depth understanding.

To my knowledge, we have not had another Métis government-specific consultation.

While there are two Métis representatives on the indigenous advisory committee with respect to major projects, we have not seen a Métis government-specific, in-depth consultation process with section 35 rights-bearing Métis governments and communities. We have not seen it extend beyond that, and it's necessary.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Thank you.

Mr. Clark, you have five minutes.

[Braedon Clark, Liberal, Sackville—Bedford—Preston, NS]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Ms. Pruden, for being here. I think you said earlier that you're in Edmonton. Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I assume that one of the reasons you're there is that yesterday your organization signed an MOU with the Northwest Territory Métis Nation. Is that correct?

[Victoria Pruden]

It absolutely is. The memorandum of understanding that we signed formally yesterday is a pathway that's been long in the making for us to sign a true partnership agreement with our relations north of 60. We were very happy to bring together the elected leadership of NWT Métis Nation and the Métis National Council and we will continue to expand those types of partnerships.

This was groundbreaking and it's been a long time coming. We're very happy with the potential that relationship represents both for our relations north of 60 and for the Métis National Council as a national indigenous organization.

[Braedon Clark, Liberal, Sackville—Bedford—Preston, NS]

That's excellent. I wanted to congratulate you on that, because obviously it's a big deal to get to that stage. Congratulations.

I wanted to touch on something you've mentioned a couple of times previously and in your opening statement as well, which is around distinctions-based funding and some issues you see there. Could you expand on that a bit and explain to the committee what precisely that means and where you'd like to see that going to benefit your organization and the Métis Nation?

[Victoria Pruden]

Absolutely. When we talk about the need for distinctions-based funding and distinctions-based opportunities, it means ensuring that taxpayers' dollars in opportunities like the indigenous loan program are fulfilling investments that are equitable not only for first nations but for Métis governments and recognized section 35 rights-bearing Métis communities and Inuit. When there's not enough attention paid to distinctions-based set-asides or distinctions-based monitoring, the Métis Nation can be left behind. We really need to make sure we're encouraging that this be reflected in the study.

A pan-indigenous approach or an approach that allows for non-equitable outputs can leave behind those opportunities for Métis governments, people and communities. At this moment in time, it's more important than ever before to make sure we don't allow that to happen. The economic participation for our governments and for our people is absolutely essential across the board.

[Braedon Clark, Liberal, Sackville—Bedford—Preston, NS]

Yes, absolutely.

You mentioned the indigenous loan guarantee program a couple of times as well, which is up to $10 billion now. This is obviously great news. From a standpoint of distinctions-based funding, could you walk me through what that would look like, practically speaking? If there's a project going through the Major Projects Office or the indigenous loan guarantee program, how would distinctions-based funding work and be beneficial to the people you represent?

[Victoria Pruden]

I think there are a couple of really important points about this. We've had discussions previously at the technical level and at the political level in terms of the indigenous loan guarantee program.

What we're finding, what we're hearing and what Métis governments articulated at the round table with the Prime Minister is that Métis governments and Métis enterprises often lack the capacity and the technical support that's required. If we don't have adequate capacity funding, and that means the people to be able to have the technical expertise to help draft what's required in terms of the borrowing and all of the work that it requires to get a loan of that size.... To have meaningful participation, we need to make sure the capacity is there for Métis governments, Métis businesses, Métis enterprises and Métis communities. Often, they lack capacity in terms of the human resources and technical expertise required to participate at that level.

I'll give you a concrete example. Investment in terms of Métis capital corporations for support for Métis businesses and Métis governments has remained static for many years. We really need to make sure there is follow-up in terms of access for economic development capacity for Métis governments and Métis businesses. We would be more than happy to provide a very detailed series of recommendations.

[Braedon Clark, Liberal, Sackville—Bedford—Preston, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Thank you both.

Finally, Mr. Simard, you have five minutes.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

I want to go back to the indigenous loan guarantee program. You mentioned meetings that have taken place. If you have any documentation, it might be interesting for you to submit it to the committee for analysis.

I'd also like you to clarify something. When you talked about technical capacity, if I understood correctly, you were referring to the technical capacity to fill out all the administrative applications related to these particular funding programs. That means that there isn't currently any support from the federal government in the application process for the indigenous loan guarantee program. Is that what you meant? Okay.

I would now like to switch gears. In your opening remarks, you mentioned that there are still questions about whether indigenous communities are truly benefiting from indigenous participation in energy exports.

For my part, I'm trying to see the balance between energy exports, infrastructure projects and the way the programs put in place by the federal government can help indigenous communities carve out a place for themselves. There's the indigenous loan guarantee program, which we talked about, but I find that these major infrastructure projects are generally overseen by large companies that are mostly American. However, that isn't what I want you to talk about. I find it hard to see, beyond being service providers, what can be done to provide a place for indigenous communities.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

[Victoria Pruden]

I will endeavour to answer that in the best way that I can.

Thinking about those large infrastructure projects, which often are owned, operated and delivered by large corporate entities, we participate in a number of ways. In our Métis nation communities, most of our businesses are small to medium-sized enterprises that play a role in terms of providing service, being subcontractors or providing that type of a role in terms of energy exporting, so we have interest in procurement.

We're very interested in seeing how there may be opportunities for equity investment for Métis governments in certain geographical areas. We really are pushing for opportunities that can be own-source revenue for Métis governments. Also, the employment aspect of meaningful, well-paid employment opportunities for Métis people across the country is of high priority.

We would be most happy to provide a summary to committee that provides a more in-depth analysis and series of recommendations. As mentioned in my opening comments, we have just done a deep-dive study on the status of the Métis economy, so we would be most happy to provide follow-up recommendations in writing to the committee to speak to specifics, if that's okay with you.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

I encourage you to do so.

Finally, at the end of your opening remarks, you mentioned the phenomenon of man camps and the impact that this can have on communities. If you have any additional information to submit to the committee in connection with that, I invite you to do so. That isn't something we have addressed so far, but I think it could be important for the drafting of our report.

Thank you very much.

[Victoria Pruden]

Thank you so much.

It would be absolutely my pleasure to do so. I spent many years at the community, regional, provincial and national levels as an advocate for women's safety, and I understand very well the intersection between man camps and vulnerabilities to indigenous women, girls, two-spirited people, and vulnerable men and boys in community.

We had an amazing presentation of a very positive case example a few weeks ago at the MMIWG2S indigenous-federal-provincial-territorial summit. We'd be most happy to provide a brief with recommendations.

This can be done in partnership with indigenous communities and industry in a very powerful way that could actually make a huge impact across the board in terms of the resources industry.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Thank you, Ms. Pruden, and thank you, Mr. Goslin, for coming to see us this morning. It was very interesting testimony, and there were good questions by colleagues.

Colleagues, this brings our meeting to a close.

Let me also, on your behalf, thank our analysts, the clerk, the amazing interpreters and all the folks.

Thanks go to Shannon, of course.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Thanks go to the poor interpreters. I know I'm the worst.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

That brings our meeting to an end. We'll see you in the House in less than an hour.