Sustainable Jobs for Indigenous Clean Energy Action
The federal government has passed the Sustainable Jobs Act to advance support for workers and communities affected by the energy transition and harness the opportunities of a low-carbon economy. This brief provides recommendations, grounded in lessons and successes from Indigenous Clean Energy's programs and experiences, to inform how federal sustainable jobs programming and investments can be implemented to support Indigenous-led solutions in clean energy.
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Indigenous Peoples are playing a key role in building the clean energy future in Canada. A new @IndigClnEnergy & IISD brief explains how the #SustainableJobs legislation can support Indigenous-led solutions & self-determination.
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To boost #Indigenous-led initiatives, Canada's federal sustainable jobs policies must: 1. advance joint governance, 2. support Indigenous definitions of "sustainable jobs," 3. enable Indigenous equity, and 4. scale up workforce capacity.
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To avoid repeating the harms of the fossil fuel-based economy, sustainable jobs policies & investments must be developed in full partnership with Indigenous Peoples.
Recommendations include the following:
- Advance joint governance and co-design implementation: ensure shared decision making with Indigenous nations or governments, co-create sustainable jobs programs, and ensure accountability to Indigenous communities.
- Support Indigenous definitions of “sustainable jobs”: enable flexibility for communities to create jobs to meet their needs and address multiple intersecting crises through initiatives ranging from clean energy to revitalizing Indigenous knowledge and languages.
- Enable Indigenous equity: create adaptive and flexible funding mechanisms, include funding set-asides for Indigenous Peoples, provide long-term and multi-phase project support, prioritize Indigenous procurement, and support access to clear, updated information.
- Scale up Indigenous workforce capacity building: improve access to education and training, create supportive working conditions and environments for Indigenous employees, support opportunities for mentorship for early-career workers, and include wrap-around supports, such as childcare provision, in program design.
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