Indigenous Economic Realities: $104-billion Opportunity—April 2026

Indigenous Economic Realities: A $104-Billion Opportunity for Indigenous Economic Involvement

From coast to coast to coast, Indigenous peoples are showing how project development can be done differently. They are building economic resilience and community wealth through partnerships that integrate environmental governance, benefit-sharing, and long-term capacity- building. In Natural Resources Canada’s 2024 Major Projects Inventory, there are 104 major projects worth over $104 billion located on or within 15 kilometres of Indigenous lands.

What energy infrastructure dominates the list of proposed projects? How many projects include Indigenous equity partners? Where is Indigenous equity most visible? And what is the key to long-term success?

This installment is the first of three in our review of geospatial data on Indigenous economic involvement. Check out the online experience for full details.