Canada should fast-track the idea that Indigenous rights and critical minerals go hand in hand

September 25, 2025

Leadership in inclusion and responsibility projects to the world that Canada is a safe and reliable jurisdiction for mining.

Tamara Krawchenko, Associate Professor at UVic’s School of Public Administration and an Expert Panelist with the Canadian Climate Institute, has coauthored an op-ed in The Hill Times highlighting the urgent need to integrate Indigenous rights with Canada’s critical minerals strategy. The piece was written collaboratively with Marisa Beck, the clean growth director at the Canadian Climate Institute and Saga Williams, an Indigenous governance and mining expert, principal of AS Williams Consulting, senior adviser to First Nations Major Projects Coalition, and adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.  

Together they argue that Indigenous rights are not barriers but essential pillars for responsible minerals development. The authors make the case that the successful development of Canada’s critical minerals must begin with true partnerships with Indigenous Peoples, centring consent, co-ownership, and benefit-sharing as core tenets of all new projects. They emphasize that fast-tracking Indigenous participation and leadership will help de-risk investments, foster reconciliation, and accelerate the energy transition.  The article directly challenges the persistent framing of Indigenous rights as hurdles, pointing instead to the evidence that widespread project delays come from a lack of early engagement with Indigenous communities, not from their inclusion.