Responsible Resource Leadership Requires Generational Accountability to Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ People

Ottawa, March 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The inaugural Responsible Resource Leadership Forum convened Indigenous leaders, Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, youth, knowledge keepers, senior government officials, and industry representatives to advance shared responsibilities tied to major resource extraction projects and the implementation of the Calls for Justice.

Generational change requires long-term thinking and large-scale projects. Too often, however, resource development has proceeded in ways that have caused harm to Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people and their communities. Hosted by the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. the Forum placed their safety, wellbeing, and rights at the center of the discussion.

With contributions from Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs Rebecca Chartrand, Senator Marilou McPhedran, Senator Michelle Audette, and senior officials from Natural Resources Canada, and National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. President Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, participants examined how governments and industry must uphold Calls for Justice 13.1 to 13.15. This includes establishing safe and culturally grounded consultation processes, legislated transparency and accountability mechanisms, and ensuring consultations are well-resourced from the earliest stages of project planning through to completion.

After two days of honest reflection and meaningful dialogue, a clear message emerged: the safety, wellbeing, and rights of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people must be foundational to any resource development initiative. Economic progress cannot come at their expense. Advancing responsible development requires prevention, coordinated systems, and leadership grounded in Indigenous rights and lived expertise.

The discussions reinforced that Indigenous women and communities already hold the knowledge and solutions needed to strengthen safety and guide development responsibly. What is required is equitable decision-making authority and sustained, adequate resources to implement those solutions in ways that protect communities and support future generations.

Colton Praill
spark* advocacy
613-875-4320
colton@sparkadvocacy.ca

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