In Canada, this shift is being led not just by industry, but by Indigenous leaders who understand what energy security means for communities, for prosperity, and for sovereignty.
At last month’s Energy Security Summit, hosted by the Canadian Gas Association in Ottawa, Stephen Buffalo, President and CEO of the Indian Resource Council, a proud affiliate organization of Energy for a Secure Future, made a powerful case for why Canada needs to treat energy security and reconciliation as national priorities that drive international outcomes.
“The importance that Indigenous nations see in energy development projects as owners and proponents plays a role in creating prosperity, as well as energy reliability and security – and opportunities for Canada to expand and export,” he said. “Industry has been our biggest supporter over the last decade.”
His remarks reflect the reality that Indigenous communities are not waiting on the sidelines – they are moving forward, partnering with industry, investing in projects, and creating long-term opportunity for their people and for Canada as a whole.
Energy security is not just a global issue, it’s a local one
Canada’s energy advantage is not just in its vast natural resources – it’s in the people and partnerships that can bring resources to market responsibly. As energy systems around the world face disruption, Canada has the opportunity to offer reliable, low-emission fuels like natural gas to our allies. But it starts at home, with policies that set our projects up for success.
As Stephen noted at the summit:
“Policy matters for all these projects to come to fruition. They need to align to give space for industry, Indigenous peoples, and projects to move forward.”
When Indigenous peoples lead, all Canadians benefit
In a recent Financial Post op-ed titled “It’s not Team Canada without Indigenous inclusion”, Stephen reflected on the growing challenges facing Canada’s energy sector – including rising trade tensions with the U.S. – and emphasized the commitment of Indigenous communities to energy development:
“We stand with the energy industry – in fact, we consider ourselves an essential part of it. We are proud Canadians… Industries and governments will come and go, but First Nations people will always be here and we want to fight to develop the resources that will help us, and all other Canadians. But that requires including our people and institutions in a meaningful way.”
This inclusion is foundational to reconciliation, to economic development, and to any strategy for national energy security.
Global Conversations, Local Impacts
The conversation about energy security is also playing out on the global stage. In another Financial Post piece, Brenda Shaffer, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, analyzed the G7’s 2021 decision to end public funding for fossil fuel projects – a decision that continues to block development in regions that need reliable energy most.
“Cutting public funding for energy projects only hurts the world’s poorest countries, mainly in Africa,” she wrote. “And if the G7 countries won’t fund fossil fuels, China will.”
This is a call for a more pragmatic take on global energy development while being more geopolitically coherent. Natural gas, particularly Canadian liquefied natural gas, has a role to play in ending energy poverty and in supporting global security and stability.
