Responsible Resource Leadership Forum
In February 2026, the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. (NFSC Inc.) convened the Responsible Resource Leadership Forum in Ottawa to confront an urgent reality: as Canada embarks on the generational projects promised by the Prime Minister, Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people must be protected from preventable harms—not asked to manage them after the fact.
Leveraging the knowledge and lived experiences of nearly 140 participants, NFSC Inc. identified concrete next steps that align with the federal Calls for Justice, including 13.1–13.15. These recommendations focus on five pillars: governance, safety, economic power, accountability, and intergenerational responsibility.
Key recommendations include establishing enforceable Indigenous representation at project negotiation tables, making safety-by-design and community stop-work authority non-negotiable conditions for approval, and creating economic structures that direct benefits to Indigenous women-led enterprises through dedicated funding and retention mechanisms. Participants also emphasized that outcomes must be measured across generations, with real consequences for failure to comply.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls identified the relationship between resource development and increased risks of violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The Calls for Justice challenge governments, Indigenous leadership, industry, and all sectors of society to work differently and to work together to explore practical approaches that support responsible resource development while advancing human security, safer communities, and shared prosperity.”
The Forum was a beginning, not the end of NFSC Inc.’s advocacy in the natural resources space. NFSC Inc. will continue its advocacy work with federal leaders and industry stakeholders, pressing for strong protections and practical implementation grounded in Calls for Justice 13.1–13.15 before construction decisions lock in risk.
