“It is Our Time”: Indigenous-Led Transmission Lines
Foreward by Kwatuuma Cole Sayers, Executive Director, Indigenous Power Coalition:
For too long, our Nations have been positioned to react to externally designed electricity projects—invited to comment on routes, mitigate impacts, or negotiate benefits after the fundamental decisions have already been made. We launched the Indigenous Power Coalition to flip this script. We envision the next generation of clean electricity projects getting built, not only with Indigenous ownership, but under Indigenous direction and authority. That includes leadership on decisions such as location, engagement practices, ownership structures, financing, and long-term planning. After all, these are not merely physical infrastructure decisions. They are expressions of Nationhood and the exercise of our inherent authority to plan for our homelands and future generations.
Interprovincial transmission projects offer a critical and timely opportunity to shift the dynamics in the electricity sector. Major investments in new, large-scale transmission projects to meet energy demand are on the horizon. They will depend on and impact Indigenous territories. These projects can and should be shaped by Nation-defined priorities—energy sovereignty, climate resilience, revenue generation, cultural continuity, and inter-regional cooperation. Governance over routing is not a procedural step; it is a matter of long-standing Indigenous laws, responsibility, protocols, and vision. When we lead, projects reflect our values and our timelines. This paper offers a useful landscape on Indigenous participation models in transmission projects, and IPC is excited to advance an Indigenous leadership model in which the future grid is shaped by Indigenous-led transmission projects in a way that strengthens our Nations’ opportunities and affirms our leadership in this space.
