Canada: Indigenous Peoples

Canada's Indigenous procurement framework requires more than nominal ownership. Recent scrutiny reveals that businesses must demonstrate meaningful Indigenous control, participation, and economic benefit, while federal buyers face pressure to ensure opportunities translate into real Indigenous economic outcomes. The rules operate at multiple levels, creating a substantive compliance exercise that extends well beyond the familiar "51% Indigenous-owned" threshold.

The federal government has published notices proposing to add the Mackenzie Valley Highway and Roberts Bank Terminal 2 to Schedule 1 of the Building Canada Act as projects of national interest. These potential listings, following a similar notice for the West Coast Oil Pipeline, provide the first practical indications of how the government may use the Act to advance major infrastructure projects through streamlined federal approvals while maintaining Indigenous consultation and environmental assessment requ

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's ("ISED") Indigenous Intellectual Property Program ("IIPP" ) is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 funding period.