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Focus area / Indigenous partnerships and First Nations

Partnership starts with community-defined priorities.

Create space for First Nations, Inuit and Métis rights-holders and Indigenous businesses to shape innovation, participation and benefits on their own terms.

Discuss this priority
Forested banks and a bridge over the French River in Ontario
Photo: View of French River from the William E. Small Bridge by The Cosmonaut. CC BY-SA 2.5 CA. Resized; cropped to fit.Context image; no CEMI project, partnership or endorsement implied. Download photo

Why this focus

The opportunity behind the headline.

Innovation cannot be defined solely by a mine or a technology supplier. Rights-holders must be able to determine whether and how they participate, with time, capacity and governance arrangements that respect their own priorities.

Government of Canada context

Canada is implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples. The Critical Minerals Strategy also identifies Indigenous participation and reconciliation as priorities.

Sources reviewed . Policy alignment is not program eligibility, government endorsement or a funding commitment. Check current terms directly with the responsible agency.

Our proposed response

What CEMI and MICA would bring.

CEMI / Challenge and evidence

Offer a listening and co-design process when invited; budget for participation and independent advice, and agree governance before defining a technical project.

MICA / Route to market

Where invited and authorized, connect Indigenous-owned businesses with supplier development, demonstration opportunities, procurement contacts and commercialization partners.

Proposed delivery roles only. Confirm MICA governance, active scope and available capacity for each engagement.

Where to start

Practical opportunities to explore.

Community-led challenges

Start with priorities identified by participating Nations or communities, such as water stewardship, energy reliability or local business opportunities.

Indigenous business participation

Co-design supplier-readiness support, paid demonstrations and procurement pathways without promising contracts.

Knowledge and data governance

Agree who controls information, what may be collected or shared, and how knowledge holders are recognized and compensated.

Proposed first engagement

Invited partnership design

See all five delivery gates
Practical output
A community-reviewed participation charter, resourced work plan, data agreement and benefit measures selected by participating rights-holders.
Area-specific decision gate
Do not advance without authorization from the participating rights-holders through their chosen governance processes. Respect a decision not to participate or to pause.

Evidence, not promises

How we would measure progress.

Agree baselines, targets, measurement methods and reporting permissions before work starts. These are proposed measures, not achieved results.

  • Community-defined benefits and satisfaction, reported only with permission
  • Paid Indigenous procurement ($) and supplier contracts, with agreed attribution
  • Participation resources delivered and commitments fulfilled, reviewed jointly

Responsible delivery

Boundaries that matter.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis are distinct peoples, not interchangeable stakeholder groups. CEMI cannot speak for a Nation, discharge the Crown duty to consult or treat a workshop as consent. Respect free, prior and informed consent; obtain appropriate legal guidance. Apply Nation-specific protocols and First Nations OCAP principles where applicable and agreed, not as a universal Indigenous data standard.

For the first conversation, bring the problem or community-defined priority, your role, available evidence and the decision you need to make. Do not send confidential technical data, sensitive community information or Indigenous knowledge through the public inquiry form.

Discuss indigenous partnerships and first nations

Connected services

Use the pathway that fits the need.

Connected priorities

No challenge stands alone.

Priority-led innovation

Have a priority to move forward?
Define the next step with CEMI.

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