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Indigenous engagement

To support the National Strategy, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is expanding its efforts to engage First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across Canada on environmental justice and racism.

Early Indigenous engagement on policy development for the National Strategy has mostly been topic-specific. This includes community-level discussions and conversations with infrastructure-focused groups, along with some general engagement.

Engagement overview

Engagement with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples is helping shape a National Strategy on environmental justice and racism. The Strategy is guided by three key objectives that reflect Indigenous knowledge, lived realities, and rights.

These objectives include:

  1. Better awareness of First Nations, Inuit and Métis knowledge and understandings of Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice
  2. Explore potential mechanisms to assess, prevent, and address instances of Environmental Racism and advance Environmental Justice
  3. Working to strengthen two-way communication and collaboration with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. This will help address environmental racism and advance environmental justice together

These objectives ensure that Indigenous perspectives directly shape the National Strategy. They inform how environmental justice and racism are understood, highlight First Nations, Inuit, and Métis priorities, and guide proposed actions.

Initial engagement is not formal consultation. It’s meant to help shape how the Government will meaningfully consult First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples on the Strategy.

Formal consultation on the National Strategy is planned for 2026.

Aamjiwnaang First Nation (AAFN)-ECCC Joint Committee on Environmental Justice  

Aamjiwnaang First Nation is in “Chemical Valley,” an area in Ontario with over 60 petrochemical industrial sites. Community members of AAFN have longstanding concerns about air quality, and the impacts of long-term exposure to pollutants.

In 2023, senior officials from Environment and Climate Change Canada attended a summit hosted by Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia. The summit gave Aamjiwnaang First Nation a chance to share concerns about nearby industry and air quality issues. Their community is surrounded by “Chemical Valley,” which includes over 60 refinery and petrochemical sites in Sarnia, Ontario. Community members have long raised concerns about air pollution and the health impacts of long-term exposure to harmful substances.

Piloting a community-level approach to advancing Environmental Justice

In 2025, Aamjiwnaang First Nation and ECCC signed an agreement to create a Joint Committee. The Committee will support co-developing actions to advance environmental justice, focusing on air, water, and infrastructure. Lessons from this pilot project will be profiled in the National Strategy. These lessons will help guide future partnerships with other Indigenous communities on environmental issues.

Engagement document: Indigenous environmental justice

What: Engagement documents are one-way governments share information and gather input from the public and interested groups. They help shape new laws, regulations, policies, or programs by inviting feedback early in the process.

The Indigenous Environmental Justice engagement document included prompts to gather perspectives from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. Input from the paper and related webinars will help shape the National Strategy.

The opportunity to provide input on this engagement document has concluded. This webpage will be updated with a summary when available.  

Virtual Distinctions-Based Discussion Series Launch Events

What: Three virtual launch events will kick off the discussion series on environmental justice. Each event will focus on the unique perspectives and priorities of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. ECCC will provide a brief presentation before leading a group discussion with all participants. 

When: Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Topic-Based Virtual Discussion Series

What: These virtual sessions invite subject-matter experts and community voices to come together and share their perspectives on environmental justice and environmental racism.

Are you:

We welcome your participation and hope you are able to join us. For each event, ECCC will provide a brief presentation before leading a group discussion with all participants. 

Register to attend: Environmental Justice and Environmental Racism Virtual Discussion Series – Registration form

A note on funding

Currently, there isn’t a dedicated fund or program specifically for Indigenous engagement in developing the National Strategy.

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) provides core funding to support Indigenous representative organizations. This funding helps build capacity for these organizations to participate in government policy development and decision-making (Contributions to support the basic organizational capacity of Indigenous Representative Organizations).

Representative organizations with an interest in these topics are also encouraged to reach out to Environment and Climate Change Canada at enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca.

Page details

2026-03-16