The 21st Conference of the Secretariat to the Cree Nation Abitibi-Témiscamingue Economic Alliance brought together a cross-section of leaders and innovators in Amos June 11-12.
SCNATEA Director General Julie Martin said the conference explored three core topics: sustainable relationships, territories and energy.
“One of the things we realized quickly is that there is no line that can be drawn between those three different subjects,” Martin said. “Everything is intertwined, and it was impossible to speak about relationships without talking about territories and vice versa.”
She highlighted several of the conference’s key moments, that included the new Cree community of Washaw Sibi, a key exchange between SCNATEA President Ted Moses and outgoing Hydro-Québec CEO Michael Sabia, the presentation of the Cree Nation’s Climate Declaration, and a compelling closing by Grand Chief Norman A. Wapachee.
Moses and Sabia discussed the future of energy in Eeyou Istchee, focusing on “replacement turbines in some of the installations to produce more electricity,” Martin said. “They also were talking about developing wind and solar farms.”
The event provided a platform for new speakers in Indigenous economic development, like Kody Penner, Vice President of Corporate Development at Nations Royalty, a mining firm based in British Columbia that offers investment capital in exchange for future mining revenues. Penner, from BC’s Tahltan First Nation, was recently named one of five Canadian young leaders in the Kakehashi Project for his innovative work.
“He showed how his company’s mission aligns with Indigenous values and long-term economic sustainability,” Martin said. “It had to do with building a better economy for everybody.”
Penner said the company creates long-term wealth by exchanging mining royalties for shares, reducing risk through a diversified portfolio.
“Instead of relying on just one mine for income, you rely on many mines across different regions,” he explained.
“If you’re a part shareholder of our company, you own everything that it owns. That’s how the ownership structure works, so by pooling our revenue across Canada and in Quebec, we can create a diversified lower risk.”
Penner believes Indigenous communities belong at the forefront of Canada’s resource economy as owners, innovators and financial leaders.
Driven by a vision of economic sovereignty, Penner believes it is necessary to reach these agreements in a way that aligns First Nations and government interests towards a common goal.
“I wanted to help lead Indigenous people into the public markets,” Penner continues. “Before Nations Royalty, groups had to wait years and years to receive payments from these mines. Now, they get all that value upfront.”
For Penner, economic development is not just about receiving fair compensation as it is about building capacity, ownership and governance structures. The partnership potential is vast: from infrastructure and energy to logistics and environmental services.
“If we can pool our collective financial strengths, we can create something much more valuable than if we work in isolation,” he said.