Partnership Council

The Partnership Council is at the heart of the IPETCA. Composed of Indigenous and government representatives from each participating economy, the Partnership Council’s role is to be a catalyst and incubator to facilitating, developing, and advancing cooperation and partnership activities. Its objective is to share knowledge, best practices, and increase Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the economy and trade.

The Partnership Council was established in November 2023.

Read the Terms of Reference

Canada’s delegation to the IPETCA

The Canadian delegation on the IPETCA Partnership Council is composed of:

• Three Indigenous representatives from each of the three distinctions in Canada (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis). These individuals are identified with the support or engagement of the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Métis National Council, respectively.
• Two government officials from the Government of Canada (appointed from Global Affairs Canada, Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and/or Indigenous Services Canada).

Past Indigenous representatives on the IPETCA Interim Body were:

• Dale LeClair (Métis, Interim Body 2022-23)
• Raymond Wanuch (First Nations, Interim Body 2022-23)

Observers

The Partnership Council may invite observers to attend its meetings. It may also create Working Groups to explore specific areas of interest to the participating economies. The Partnership Council may ask any of the following entities to be observers:

• An economy (country)
• Indigenous Peoples, business, or other organization
• A non-Indigenous business or organization that supports Indigenous Peoples

Furthermore, the Partnership Council could also invite experts, Indigenous leaders, elders, or knowledge keepers to participate in meetings of the Partnership Council or Working Groups.

New participating economies

The IPETCA is open to any APEC Member Economy, WTO member, or other economy interested in pursuing inclusive trade and investment approaches for Indigenous Peoples. The Partnership Council will consider all expressions of interest by economies who are interested in joining the IPETCA.