Proposed Indigenous Ministerial Arrangements Regulations (IMARs) Participant Funding

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is accepting applications on an ongoing basis.

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The Indigenous^{Footnote 1} Ministerial Arrangements Regulations (IMARs) is a key component in the successful achievement of the Government of Canada’s economic reconciliation objectives. It provides the opportunity for Indigenous governing bodies^{Footnote 2} to participate in the regulatory process of federally regulated energy projects that fall under the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (CERA).

Objective

The objective of this funding is to provide financial support to Indigenous groups that are interested in participating in the development of IMARs during the implementation of Phase 2, Engagement and Regulatory Design.

Over the course of Phase 2 of IMARs (April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025), NRCan has two primary goals for implementation, including:

1. Gather input and feedback on the proposed regulations; and
2. Identify Indigenous groups that want to be engaged during subsequent phases of the IMARs process.

Applicants can expect that participation in the IMARs process will include but is not limited to the following activities:

• Participating in discussions to inform the scope of proposed regulations;
• Providing written submissions or comments to NRCan;
• Validating and providing input in “What We Heard” reports that will follow each engagement session; and
• Validating and providing input in a “Regulatory Proposal”.

Accountability

The development of IMARs relies on the ongoing engagement and dialogue with Indigenous groups. Recipients^{Footnote 3} are responsible to effectively carry out their obligations under these guidelines and their contribution agreements.

Recipients must:

• Ensure that expenditures are in accordance with the eligible expenditures and activities listed in the section entitled “Eligibility” and stated in their agreement.

NRCan is offering funding to reimburse costs incurred by either attending or organizing up to six engagement sessions or meetings in fiscal year 2024 to 2025 per contribution agreement as part of Phase 2. IMARs has $1.38 million of funding from April 1, 2024 until March 31, 2025 allocated for participant funding as part of the planned engagement. NRCan receives a fixed annual budget for IMARs and administers it to provide limited financial contributions to eligible recipients in a fair and transparent manner.

NRCan may not be able to cover all expenses incurred and participants are encouraged to investigate other sources of funding or in-kind support. Additional details regarding eligible expenditures and activities can be found in the section entitled “Eligibility”.

Eligibility

Eligible recipients

Eligible recipients include:

• Indigenous groups;
• Tribal Councils or entities that fulfill a similar function (e.g., general council);
• National and regional Indigenous councils, and tribal organizations;
• Indigenous (majority owned and controlled by Indigenous people) for-profit and not-for-profit organizations; and
• Members of Indigenous groups with community knowledge, Indigenous traditional knowledge or input relevant to the policy dialogue, and with interest in the issues discussed through the policy dialogue.

Eligible activities

Eligible activities include:

1. Organizing and/or attending engagement sessions, including:
   • Up to six engagement sessions or meetings. Options on the format of these engagement sessions or meetings are included below:
     • Option 1: Attending in-person regional engagement sessions hosted by NRCan;
       • Reimbursement for costs (e.g. transportation, accommodations, meals and incidentals) incurred through attendance in-person will be limited to 2 representatives per session;
     • Option 2: Hosting an in-person engagement session in or near your community that NRCan will attend;
       • The host organization can be reimbursed for costs incurred for:
         • Hosting up to 2 meetings for up to 50 participants; and
         • Providing 1 meal for up to 50 participants per session;
       • Engagement sessions hosted by a recipient can include participation from other neighboring Indigenous groups and/or communities that are invited at the discretion of the hosting community;
     • Option 3: Virtual engagement sessions hosted by NRCan;
       • Reimbursement for costs (honoraria, ceremonial costs) incurred through attendance at virtual meetings will be limited to 4 representatives per session;
2. Obtaining professional advice on studies, reports, and gathering input;
3. Participating in and contributing information or views on existing or draft directives, policies, regulations and legislation;
4. Honoraria and ceremonial offerings.
   • The recipient to whom honoraria is provided cannot be in receipt of a salary or any other direct income for the activity for which an honorarium is claimed.

Eligible expenditures

Eligible expenditures include:

• Travel expenses, including accommodation, meal and incidental allowances based on National Joint Council rates;
• Professional fees (including legal fees);
• Salaries and wages;
  • Salaries and wages typically refers to time spent working on IMARs by salaried employees that is over and above regular daily activities;
• Rental of office space/meeting rooms;
• Telecommunication charges;
• Communication materials;
• Hospitality, honoraria and ceremonial costs;
  • Honoraria and ceremonial costs typically refers to costs associated with providing Indigenous traditional or community knowledge relevant to the engagement activity;
• Purchase, lease or rental of equipment (including monitoring equipment, computer/IT equipment and software), including all related and necessary costs;
• GST, PST or HST, net of any tax rebate to which the recipient is entitled;
• Overhead expenditures, provided that they are directly related to the conduct of IMARs work and can be attributed to it. Overhead expenditures may be included in the total costs to a maximum of 15% of eligible expenditures.
  • Overhead expenditures include:
    • Administrative support provided directly to the project by the recipients employee(s), valued on the same basis as professional staff time;
      • Overhead expenditures typically refers to administrative work required to participate in IMARs (e.g., financial tracking/reporting, communication, and logistics); and
    • Heat, hydro and office operating costs (e.g. Internet, telephone).

Ineligible expenditures

Costs that are not eligible include:

• Costs and expenses incurred prior to April 1, 2024; and
• Costs related to lobbying.

Apply

Steps to apply:

Assessment criteria

Applications will be individually assessed based on specific criteria and information provided. NRCan will assess all applications based on applicant eligibility, eligible activities and the merits criteria listed below when making funding decisions.

Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Alignment with objectives of Phase 2 of IMARs (as outlined under the section entitled “Objectives");
• Alignment with eligibility requirements (as listed under the section entitled “Eligibility”);
• Feasibility of proposed activities (timelines, number of individuals and/or groups involved);
• Financial viability (value for contribution, reasonable costs);
• Risk (complexity of proposed activities, timelines); and
• Availability of contributions budget.

Required Information

In order to adequately assess applications, NRCan requires the following information to be able render a funding decision:

1. A completed IMARs Participant Application Form
2. Supporting Documentation, if required.

Supporting documentation can include:

• Documentation that shows confirmation and/or support if you are submitting a funding application on behalf of a partnership (e.g., a Band Council Resolution, Letter of Support, etc.)

Note: This documentation is only required if you selected “yes” for the question regarding Partnerships in the IMARs Participant Applicant Form.

Payment

When funding is approved, the applicant will be notified by NRCan in writing by email. The notification will include information detailing the total amount of approved funding and next steps to finalize a Contribution Agreement. A Contribution Agreement is a type of contract between NRCan and a recipient of the funds.

The Contribution Agreement, signed by the applicant and NRCan, will identify the conditions of the funding and the obligations of all signatories.

The Contribution Agreement includes conditions of payment. There are three ways that funds can be provided to the recipient: advance payments, reimbursement/final payments, or retroactive payments.

Advance payments

Advance payments may be provided to recipients where they can demonstrate a cash flow requirement for funding to be provided prior to incurring eligible expenditures.

Reimbursements/Final payments

Payments will be made based on receipt and approval of financial reports and final narrative reports. Payments will be made on the basis of costs incurred and upon the receipt of proper documentation as defined in the contribution agreement. A final payment will not be made until all project activities have been completed and are deemed acceptable to NRCan.

Retroactive payments

Recipients will be allowed to incur eligible expenditures from the earlier of the notification of the commencement of the engagement process or the notification of funding approval. Eligible expenditures will only be reimbursed upon the formal signing of a contribution agreement. Retroactive expenditures will be reimbursed up to 100% of the contribution in that fiscal year when deemed appropriate. The claims for retroactive payment must include supporting documents.

All eligible expenditures listed in the section entitled “Eligible Expenditures” will be eligible for retroactive payment. NRCan will issue payments once it is satisfied that the retroactive expenditures are directly related to the costs incurred for the development of IMARs. Only projects that proceed to contribution agreements will be eligible to claim retroactive eligible expenditures incurred.

Monitoring and reporting

The Recipient may be requested to submit claim forms and reports in sufficient detail to enable the Department to:

• carry out the post-completion monitoring called for in the funding arrangement; and
• evaluate the effectiveness of the contributions.

Recipients need to keep their claim forms and reports for three years from the time they incur their expenses.

Key dates

Related information

• Proposed Indigenous Ministerial Arrangements Regulations

Contact us

For additional information on the proposed IMARs or to submit comments in writing, please send an email to Indigenous Ministerial Arrangements Regulations at: imar-rama@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.