Details
- Publication date
- Author(s)
Natural Resources Canada
Audit and Evaluation Branch
Natural Resources Canada and Statistics Canada
April 23, 2026
On this page
Program description
Key findings
Recommendations and management response and action plan
About the joint audit and evaluation
Program description
The Government of Canada is committed to working with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples to build relationships founded in mutual respect, partnership and recognition of rights.
NRCan collaborates with Indigenous Peoples in the management of sustainable natural resources. Partnering with Indigenous Peoples, communities, and businesses is critical to building an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient natural resource sector in Canada.
Reconciliation is recognized as a department-wide responsibility and is a major priority area. While not a complete inventory, the joint project identified 70+ programs or initiatives led by NRCan which aim to advance reconciliation (in whole or in part).
In 2021, NRCan finalized the development of a Pathways to Reconciliation Framework. This Framework proposed five action pillars (see list below, under key findings). With the Framework as the baseline, NRCan’s Pathways to Reconciliation Action Plan was developed and formally approved in June 2024. The first report on progress against the Action Plan was presented to senior management in December 2025.
Key findings
Alignment of NRCan’s reconciliation priorities
NRCan’s reconciliation efforts are aligned with relevant Government of Canada commitments, including those in response to calls for action, and with its departmental mandate. NRCan initiatives also broadly align with Indigenous priorities by focusing on reconciliation, economic participation, environmental stewardship, and cultural respect. There are opportunities to improve this alignment via NRCan’s processes for engaging with Indigenous Peoples.
Governance
Since its creation as a sector in 2022, Nòkwewashk has come to be recognized across NRCan as the central hub for reconciliation-related guidance, coordination, and leadership. However, some NRCan employees find it difficult to understand the specificities of the sector’s mandate or to identify key points of contact.
Rather than having one Indigenous-focused governance committee, NRCan has taken steps to integrate reconciliation across several governance committees. Integrated planning could be facilitated by better communication and alignment between governance bodies on reconciliation-related issues.
Pillar 1: Building awareness and understanding
While NRCan actively communicates its reconciliation priorities to employees through a variety of channels, there are opportunities to make key information more easily accessible and digestible for employees.
NRCan has implemented various activities to build awareness and understanding of Indigenous culture, history and traditions and there is some evidence that this has contributed to increased cultural competency. All employees are required to complete a minimum of eight hours annually of Indigenous-related learning activities. There is a high level of awareness of this requirement but there are no formal mechanisms to track uptake or assess impact.
Pillar 2: Engaging to foster relationship building
The joint project identified two key issues in this area: the absence of a centralized, department-wide system for coordinating Indigenous engagement and insufficient support and reinforcement for the utilization of existing tools.
There is no comprehensive data on the history, frequency and distribution of groups being engaged by NRCan, with siloed activities leading to overlaps and fatigue in engagement. While some sectors have established protocols for planning and conducting Indigenous engagements, approaches vary greatly across sectors.
Pillar 3: Having a voice where it matters
NRCan has made progress in supporting the recruitment of Indigenous employees through the development of targeted programs and initiatives and has processes in place to monitor and report on Indigenous representation within its workforce. NRCan has also established various practices to promote an inclusive and barrier-free environment for Indigenous employees and support their career development (e.g., creation of inclusive spaces, Indigenous Career Navigator, etc.). However, it has no coordinated internal process to actively review the effectiveness of these actions or to identify emerging barriers and challenges faced by Indigenous employees.
Pillar 4: Increasing our flexibility
There is a positively evolving commitment to incorporate Indigenous considerations and feedback into program design and delivery and to increase the flexibility of NRCan transfer payment programs. These activities have enhanced responsiveness to Indigenous interests and worldviews. However, obstacles remain that make it challenging to sustain engagements needed to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into program design or impact participation of Indigenous Peoples in program delivery.
Pillar 5: Transforming how we work
NRCan has formally added reconciliation as one of its core values in its departmental Values and Ethics code. It is also transforming the way it does research, including field work, to ensure that this is carried out respectfully and meaningfully connects with Indigenous Knowledge. There are opportunities for NRCan to improve the way it measures its progress towards reconciliation.
NRCan’s continuing journey
NRCan is already aware of many of the gaps identified by the joint audit and evaluation and has committed to meaningful change to address these issues through its Pathways to Reconciliation Action Plan.
Recommendations and management response and action plan
Recommendation | Management response and action plan |
|---|---|
| Management agrees. |
| Management agrees. |
| Management agrees. |
About the joint audit and evaluation
| Employee survey Talking circles Document review Media analyses Case studies Key informant interviews Literature review and benchmark analysis |