The Climate Conversations: How Indigenous Leadership Can Drive Canada’s Energy Transition

The race to reduce our carbon emissions is on—and many Canadian clean-tech companies and energy producers are working hard to get us there. While seemingly at odds with each other, energy security and climate security are now both possible.

But we can't talk about the importance of achieving our climate and energy goals without first acknowledging the failings of our collective past when it comes to Canada's First Nations. And we can’t plan our clean-energy transition without including Canada’s Indigenous people—and embracing their leadership and ownership of energy projects.

In this episode of Disruptors, an RBC podcast, host John Stackhouse speaks with two Indigenous business leaders on how to build a just and equitable energy transition: Mark Podlasly, director of economic policy at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition and an adjunct professor at UBC’s Sauder School of Business; and Crystal Smith, chief councilor of the Haisla Nation and chair of the First Nations LNG Alliance.

SHOW NOTES:

The First Nations Major Projects Coalition is a collective of First Nations united to promote shared interests and gain ownership in the major developments in their territories. You can find out more here.

To learn more about the Haisla Nation and their history, follow this link. During the episode, Crystal mentions the vital Oolichan fishery; to understand more, click here.

The First Nations LNG Alliance is a collective of First Nations participating in, and supportive of, LNG development in B.C. You can read more here.

Finally, click here to read a new RBC Economics and Thought Leadership report called The New Climate Bargain: How Canada Can Manage Energy & Environmental Security. It explores how Canada can play a role in calming nervous oil markets while developing a framework for a competitive—and decarbonized—oil-and-gas sector.

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