On energy transition, Canada should take a matriarchal approach

This Opinion piece is by Raylene Whitford and Annmarie Garby, who serve on an Indigenous advisory council for Energy Futures Lab. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

The current movement for businesses to embrace sustainability and shrink their carbon footprints is missing one simple, yet powerful thing — balance. 

The race for profit and to increase consumption is constantly changing the lands we live on. While technological and industrial advancement has benefited all cultures, the balance between nature and those who are supposed to live in harmony with it has been lost. 

The energy transition presents us with a chance to rediscover the balance we need. An often-overlooked demographic is ready to lead us down the path — Indigenous women. 

Indigenous people make up five per cent of the population of Canada and six per cent of the global population, but they protect nearly 80 per cent of the planet's biodiversity.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states: "Drawing on diverse knowledge and partnerships, including with women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and ethnic minorities can facilitate climate resilient development and has allowed locally appropriate and socially acceptable solutions." 

Taking care of resources

The traditional roles Indigenous women hold in society, and the forms of knowledge that have been handed down to us for thousands of years, is a strength for working within the environmental realities we face. 

In many Indigenous communities, women are valued as traditional knowledge keepers and often it was they who decided how land and resources were used. 

As Indigenous women, we are taught the value of plants and flora — the sacred medicines that Mother Earth provides. We are also taught how to harvest these gifts in a way that will sustain resources year after year, providing generously for future generations. 

If Canada applied the same principles of how Indigenous women interact with the land to managing our natural resources, we would shift to a model of taking care versus simply taking.

As Indigenous women, we embody the core of sustainability. We strike that balance. 

So what does this mean for corporate Canada? 

It means recognizing that Indigenous women have a vital role in shaping the energy transition and establishing ambitious, but achievable, targets. 

It means bringing in the expertise of Indigenous women both in the field and around boardroom tables, as our perspectives and knowledge are critical if we are to embrace a more holistic approach to navigating our energy systems. 

And it means recognizing that often the loudest voices representing Indigenous peoples, especially in the natural resources industry, are still chiefly male. 

All of this must shift if we are to embrace new opportunities in a way that respects the planet while ensuring Indigenous communities can benefit from energy development. There are some incredible, inspiring women at the forefront of energy and climate issues — folks like Indigenous Clean Energy mentor  Jordyn Burnouf, water protector Autumn Peltier, Royal Bank's Alanna La Rose, and pipeline protester turned energy advocate Kaella-Marie Earle. 

The energy transition provides a new opportunity for shared economic prosperity in Canada. New opportunities are on the horizon and resource development in Canadian energy sectors must align with a net-zero future. 

New technologies have the potential to transform conventional assets to novel forms of clean energy and catalyze this shift to build a more inclusive economy. 

As Indigenous women, we bring the wisdom and perspective of a values-based approach to the energy transition. We are calling on companies to embrace the four core values that were taught to us for tens of thousands of years: respect, kinship, gratitude, and reciprocity. 

Core values

When we harvest the gifts of Mother Earth, we first approach her with the deepest respect, not the intention to control or dominate. In the context of the energy transition, this respect extends to honouring the rights and title of Indigenous peoples. 

Kinship means we reflect on the interconnectedness of the systems around us and enables equitable access to and shared prosperity from natural resources. 

By expressing gratitude to Mother Earth for sharing her gifts with us it demonstrates accountability, and our assurance the land will be fully and carefully reclaimed. This extends to the appreciation of Indigenous knowledges and science in project development, and the role of Indigenous technicians in stewardship. 

We end the interaction in reciprocity, by prioritizing nature-based solutions, forging equitable partnerships that see resources flow back into our communities, and in creating abundance and prosperity for future generations. 

While we can't wait seven generations to address the climate issues in front of us, by taking a matriarchal approach to the energy transition we will be planting seeds for the future — in the same way our mothers and grandmothers passed on the ways of harvesting medicines to us. 

When we go back to honouring female leadership and amplify the voices of Indigenous women, Canada will see tangible and positive change. 

And when companies truly adopt a values-based approach to the transition, we will walk together on a good path forward as we enter this new energy landscape.