Bridging Industry and Indigenous Perspectives in Establishing Canada’s Battery Value Chain

A lot was on the line back in May of 2024. A small conference room on Tsuut’ina lands to the west of Calgary was filled with anticipation. Industry leaders, Indigenous knowledge holders, representatives from Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments, lawyers, policy makers, and energy innovators had gathered, ready to explore the future of Canada’s battery value chain. The conversations ahead were not just about business or policy – they were about relationships, responsibility, and reconciliation. But amidst the nervous energy there were signs of things to come – handshakes, hugs, smiles and welcomes. By the time the workshop wrapped these were flowing freely. Friendships had been deepened, and new connections had been forged.

A Partnership for Meaningful Dialogue

The Energy Futures Lab partnered with the Battery Metals Association of Canada (BMAC) to bring together these diverse voices. The goal? To ensure that as Canada builds its battery industry, Indigenous perspectives and rights are not just considered but are foundational to its development. One of the biggest questions was how to set this up in a good way when so much could go wrong, especially given the history of industry impact on Indigenous Peoples and lands. We knew there was an opportunity and a window to do this well, and through thoughtful design and consultation we established a convening question could help frame these efforts.

We would ask a diverse set of participants to convene around this question: How might the battery value chain respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 92 for Corporate Canada, in light of the legal adoption of UNDRIP, in a way that recognizes the inherent ancestral and Treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada?

A Gathering at Tsuut’ina Nation

A year in the making, the first big step on this journey was a full-day workshop in May, held at the Grey Eagle Resort & Casino on Tsuut’ina Nation. Guided by members of an Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC), the event was designed to foster open and honest dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and bridge perspectives between Indigenous and industry leaders. Facilitators Pong Leung and Danielle Mitchell created a space where participants could reflect, challenge assumptions, and build understanding together. Tsuut’ina Spiritual Leader Hal Eagletail opened the day with prayer, song, smudge, and his notorious heartfelt humour.

Within the group there was a shared recognition that Canada’s critical minerals sector is at a turning point. The metals and materials needed for batteries are essential to the energy transition, but the industry itself is still developing. This presents a rare opportunity to do things differently and build strong relationships with Indigenous peoples from the start, and to highlight the imperative to address environmental and social impacts across every part of the value chain: mining and mineral extraction, materials processing, manufacturing, all the way through to recycling and circularity.

During the workshop, industry representatives expressed a deep desire to learn. Many were grappling with questions about Indigenous rights, legal frameworks, and the importance of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent. Indigenous leaders, in turn, shared their perspectives on governance, economic participation and reconciliation, and the importance of long-term relationships built on trust and gained deeper knowledge of the emerging battery value chain from the people working to establish it.

One key takeaway became clear: meaningful partnerships are not about checking boxes – they require ongoing dialogue, shared decision-making, and a commitment reconciliation as relationship, an approach that was shared with the group by Indigenous Advisory Circle member Leoni Rivers (Gitxsan) who gave a memorable presentation. For Leoni, it’s important that “We need to start looking at the reconciliation space as developing reconciliation as relationship from an Indigenous worldview within a western worldview”.

“We need to start looking at the reconciliation space as developing reconciliation as relationship from an Indigenous worldview within a western worldview”

She goes on to say that “there was so much diversity in the room, but the balance was towards equity for First Nations and Indigenous Peoples and to me it felt like respect was being reflected. Bringing that balance is what we need to focus on, and shifting from biases to being more objective and respecting each others perspectives because we need to do that even if we agree to disagree. I like to think full circle, including about measures of success, and this provided an opportunity for individuals to tell their stories and share experiences in a way that was culturally safe for us Indigenous Peoples in the room”.

Participants were able to ask each other questions, and get peer feedback on their current work or challenges they face and perceive within their respective industries and communities. As the day wrapped up, they were asked to reflect on what they had learned and to make personal commitments to reconciliation. Some committed to deepening their knowledge, others to changing how they engaged with Indigenous communities in their work. There was a palpable sense that this was just the beginning.

Expanding the Conversation

Building on the momentum from the May workshop, we co-hosted a second session within BMAC’s Charged! Conference on October 29 in Calgary. This session brought these critical discussions to an even wider audience, opening the conference with a conversation on Indigenous partnerships. Setting this tone early ensured that Indigenous voices and perspectives were woven throughout the conference rather than treated as an isolated topic and we saw this in real-time as people began to ask tough questions, and Indigenous perspectives were discussed at length and in depth within other conference sessions.

Building upon the learnings of the first session, seven opportunities and seven conditions for successful partnerships were identified. These were then tested with the nine members of the Indigenous Advisory Circle who helped to refine and define them to shape the design for the second session.

The Charged! session presented these opportunities and conditions to wider audience. The May workshop, while impactful, was a smaller group. This was an opportunity to get a wider cross-section of the value chain to reflect on and consider these. Conference goers were asked to reflect on the opportunities for partnership, but also the barriers to helping them fulfil the conditions for success.

As one of the lead facilitators, Danielle Mitchell (Cree/Métis) recalls “the room fell silent. Looking around, every single person was heads down writing their reflections. That rarely happens in this type of facilitation, and it showed that people were taking this seriously and were genuinely engaged. It was an opportunity to structure conversation, design, and collaboration in a way that centers relationality and that has significant potential to translate into real impact, and a real shift in people’s perspectives on how to work together”.

The industry’s future depends on collaboration, and it was clear that those in the room were ready to take steps toward stronger, more equitable relationships.

“It was an opportunity to structure conversation, design, and collaboration in a way that centers relationality and that has significant potential to translate into real impact, and a real shift in people’s perspectives”

A Path Forward

As this sector continues to grow, we hope that this journey continues, and that we see Indigenous rights and knowledge(s) reflected in and leading decision-making as the value chain continues to form. The commitment to reconciliation must go beyond just words and obligations; it must be reflected in actions, policies, and partnerships that honour shared governance and seven-generation thinking.

These workshops are just one step in a much longer journey. But the connections made, the lessons learned, and the commitments voiced all signal a shift in how the industry approaches its future. The work continues, and we are committed to ensuring these conversations turn into tangible change.

This is how transformation begins, through listening, learning, and walking the path forward together.

#Future_Economy #Regional_Pathways #Clean_Technologies #Indigenous_Knowledge_Insight_and_Leadership #Western_Canadian_Critical_Materials_Alliance #Battery_Metals_Vision_and_Roadmap #Batteries