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Welcome to Drum Beats, the must listen to podcast for investors interested in indigenous investment in Canada.

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Born from the Canadian Indigenous Investment Summit, the show focuses on the intersection of Indigenous economic strategies and investment opportunities.

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I'm Mark Mignac and my co-host Robert Brant and I are joined today by Eva Clayton, the President of the Niska Nation.

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They have a very special place in the history of the Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

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They are the first nation to negotiate a modern-day treaty with Canada and the province of British Columbia.

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They have also been very active in developing and monetizing the resources.

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Join us as we explore how these critical conversations are reshaping economic development across Canada.

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Well, good morning and welcome Eva. What a pleasure to have you here in London.

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Thank you. It's pleased to be here. Wow, never been to London before.

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It's really the first time and you came because of the mining conference resourcing tomorrow.

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Yes, it was exciting. I just didn't get a chance to see London.

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You'll definitely have to come back to our Indigenous Investment Summit in April next year.

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Yes, for sure.

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I understand yesterday you were at Guild Hall. That's where the event you were at yesterday, which is part of the oldest part of London,

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because even the Romans were there in front of Guild Hall underneath.

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There's an old Roman amphitheater. So that has been the center of London for thousands of years.

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That's what Bob was telling us last night, but it was raining cats and dogs last night, so we didn't get a chance to look around until the end of the evening.

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Well, we put on English weather for you.

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I see that.

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And you're initially from BC, so it's not too far.

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Eva, the Nisga Nation, you're the president recently re-elected for a third term.

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Can you tell us a little bit about Nisga Nation?

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Sure. The Nisga Nation is the first modern-day treaty, 2000.

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After many years of negotiating, our leadership has since gone past on.

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But in 2000, we left the Indian Act, so we thought.

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But we delved into Nisga government.

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Coming from a bank council structure, what a challenge.

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And it still is a challenge today, but we are overcoming it.

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We have a lawmaking authority, meaning that we can make legislation on Nisga lands.

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But whatever is in place for Canada and BC, who are treaty partners, their laws, like the criminal code of Canada still applies.

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We don't have that.

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We have the authority to make laws on Nisga land.

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And we can introduce at some point in time the policing for our people on Nisga lands.

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But for the Nisga Nation, we have maybe 9,000 Nisga citizens registered.

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And we are made up of four communities, four village government.

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They are known as Kankolas under the Indian Act, Lackal's Act,

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formerly known under the Indian Act as Greenville, and get oneself formerly known as Kenyan City under the Indian Act.

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And New I.N.s, as the larger of the four communities.

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Then we're made up of three urban locals who are established under the Societies Act of BC.

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But they participate in the treaty in the government so that we continue to take care of our Nisga citizens in the urban areas.

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So there's three established urban centers for Nisga.

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That's Vancouver, being the bigger metropolis.

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Then Prince Ruford, for Edward, and Tess.

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The Nisga people have been at the forefront of a lot of indigenous initiatives in Canada over the years.

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In British Columbia, most of the province is unceded territory.

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And the Canadian Supreme Court recognized back in 1973 a famous Canadian case initiated by the Nisga in 1973, the Calder case.

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Yes, Dr. Frank Calder.

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For years, our people, in 1910 they created the Nisga Land Committee.

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In 1910.

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Long before that.

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But for my memory, in 1910, what we called the Nisga Land Committee.

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And they took things to a level nobody even thought of, you know.

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When the head吾aries come into our lands, the queen sending her missionaries.

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Or you can't tell us what to do on our land.

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These are some of our chiefs talking.

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And you can't tell us what land we own.

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We own this land.

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We've been here since time before memory.

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And from then it really took off and carried on by our leaders over the decade.

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And to the point where we are now today, we have Nisga statesmen.

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That we really need to look at creating that story for our nation.

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And I think that will be a story indeed for our students.

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I continue to push that within our education.

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That we have to have our history told.

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The Nisga Nation has been silent for too long.

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One of the chief councillors this past term made a statement that was so profound in my mind.

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You know, why is the Nisga so secretive?

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The world doesn't even know too much about our Nisga Nation today.

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As we exist under the modern day treaty process.

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We're the very first modern day treaty in 2000.

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And we have the treaty partners, Kan Dan BC, that we work together with.

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And we are still finding challenges along the way.

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Because for Kan Dan BC nobody told him how to treat modern day treaties.

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And modern day treaty groups, why are we still answering today?

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To become grandfather in Ottawa, BC.

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But we are working towards a true self-government.

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We want to be sustainable financially.

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And this is why the Nisga government has been very forward thinking.

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We have been busy in what we want to do for our nation.

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Last night at the resourcing conference, resourcing tomorrow, I believe it was.

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Mining and money.

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The Nisga Nation received an award for innovative forward thinking.

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The ESG initiative of the year in the industry. Congratulations.

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Because that's a global conference everybody's hearing.

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The destination took that. Fantastic.

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We're very happy with that.

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The work that we're doing is paying off.

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And I was explaining to Rob last night during dinner that the Nisga Nation has been faced with rebuilding our economy.

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We stood by the wayside.

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When I think it was in the 70s, from what I remember when I was growing up,

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and into the 80s and somewhat into the 90s, we were standing by the wayside.

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We were observers as they raped and pillaged our lands.

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And now today you see the big change around where its end-its-ness people now are being consulted.

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And we're no longer being left by the wayside because we want to be able to manage prosperity, not poverty.

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And we have been forward thinking.

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We had two projects, the LNG and the pipeline.

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We just purchased the pipeline.

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That's the Rupert? Yeah, PRGT.

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Yeah.

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Prince Rupert gas transmission.

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Yes.

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Pipeline for our audience.

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Rupert gas transmission.

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And the route and all of the work that we've done with our projects, these two projects that we continue to do with Nations royalty,

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we're very inclusive of the indigenous groups that can be along the pipeline.

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We've been doing a lot of consultations with the indigenous groups because we want to garner their support as opposed to dealing with it after.

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We want to look at giving them what the house that I put it, I said to Rob last night, piece of the pie if you want.

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If there's a piece of the pipeline going through lands of other indigenous groups, they can perhaps look at becoming owners of that person.

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Yeah.

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Very forward thinking and progressive.

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Yes, we're working in that way.

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And at the same time, we know we have to get that power.

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We have to power up the facility, the floating facility and pipeline.

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So we're also doing work with.

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Sorry, just the floating facility.

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Could you talk a bit more about that?

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Yeah, okay.

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We call it Xerosimxalangee.

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That's an ISCA word.

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What does that mean?

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It means coming from the Nash River.

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Xerosimxalangee.

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The, don't quote me on the actual meaning of it.

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I'm sure one of our viewers will write in it.

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Correct.

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The Nisga Nation follows the interview.

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Yes.

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So we're looking at, we know that there's going to be energy needed to power up the LNG facility.

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It's going to be a floating facility in Will Millet North, I think of King Colas, King

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Goss.

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Work has been undergoing a lot.

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I think we're in the environmental stages, moving towards the final environmental stages

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of that project.

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And then we have the pipeline.

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So because Nisga Nation is involved with all of these projects, and we want to be a part

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of the solution to the global climate concerns, Nisga Nation is a founding member of the First

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Nations Climate Initiative in BC.

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We do a lot of work out of Tetral, Karthi and Vancouver.

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We work alongside Alex Kribowski and David Nicolayson.

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And they're doing a lot of work with the COO.

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The COO Power Initiative?

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Yeah, the Power Initiative.

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And we recognize that there needs to be, and the province recognizes that we need to have

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that kind of energy to power up the projects.

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Clean energy.

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Yes, the clean energy.

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And the Nation became involved with the First Nations Climate Initiative so that we can

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be having a say in policy development when it comes to clean energy.

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And we are looking at that.

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The Nation also wants to look at helping with getting the countries out of the fossil fuels

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that is.

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Yes.

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And either you talked about challenges and resiliency.

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Would you tell us a little bit about your own personal background, where you grew up,

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how you grew up, and how that maybe shaped you to become the leader you are today?

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Okay, for sure.

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I attribute all my teachings to how I grew up.

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Went to Indian Day School.

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Then I was, my father passed away at a very young age.

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I was about five or six, and I was sent to residential school.

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After residential school, I went to the boarding home program, what they call the Indian boarding

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home program.

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And so three categories of school I participated in under the Indian Act.

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And what a talent it must have been for my mom.

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She had six of us, and she was a single mother at a very young age already.

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So I became the, she had to go after three jobs to look after us.

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She was taking over school in grade eight.

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And when she was about in her later part of the 40s, early 50s, she went back to school.

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And she worked for the federal government.

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I get a lot of initiative from my mother.

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Her strength is incredible.

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Is she still alive today?

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No, she passed on.

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Oh, maybe two, three years ago.

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She never backed down.

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We just don't back down when you're looking at challenges.

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So when she put us into major, we are all educated.

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There are six children, we're all educated.

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We all graduated.

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And they don't think my oldest brother is an electrician.

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Then I went into BCIT, BCBS, and BCBS no longer exists.

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It was the British Columbia Bacchuson School.

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Oh, okay.

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Yeah.

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That's what was known then.

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So I went there, I did my education.

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And who knew that all of this was, it was going to be my destiny.

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Because after I did all this, I moved back home because, first of all, I got the experience.

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I worked with United Native Nations.

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I worked for the BC Forum.

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These groups no longer exist now, but they were in the forefront of getting recognition

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for Indigenous people back then in all areas.

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So I went back to work with the Nisqanasan, and I worked with the Nisqatarba Council,

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who was the very first secretary, paid secretary because the Nisqanasan was pursuing the land

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question, the Nisqalan question on Nisqa public funds.

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And it wasn't until the early 80s that Canada introduced that loan.

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We could take out loans through our land question.

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Yeah, for Indigenous people.

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Then they gave you the funding to be able to solve the problem that action was created

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by them and the monarchy.

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So they recognized that loan payment was reimbursed to the Nisqatars.

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They were paying it all.

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And so somewhere along the line, they recognized that.

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You know, we had Nisqatars people paying for problems that were often caused by them.

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So it was reinstated, reimbursed the funding and went back to the people.

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Sounds like a difficult upbringing or challenging one to lose your father at that age to have

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your mother having to work.

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Three jobs and be sent to school, but it has made you, shaped you and you've taken those

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lessons.

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I was sent to Rob last night.

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I was at Rob five, I think, when I went to residential school.

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My mother's brother was three.

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I come from a family of residential school survivors.

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And with the residential schools, you then lived away from home?

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Yes.

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Yes.

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Which, I mean, three and five.

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I mean, just traumatic.

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And here you are today, though.

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The president.

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Sweet guy.

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Of your nation, reelected again.

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Yes.

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This sounds like Margaret Thatcher going on and on and on.

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Right?

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For me, you should say that I have friend and Prince George chief, Harley Change.

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He always calls me the Iron Lady.

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Oh, there we go.

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We have the Iron Lady.

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Fantastic.

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And you were at anyone at the mining conference last night.

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Makes sense.

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The Iron Lady got the award for refugee.

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Yes, it was really incredible meeting all these people.

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It was a big gathering, very senior mining leaders at the conference and at the dinner

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last night to see your award.

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Yes.

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Dean of Reinhart from Australia, there, Robert Friedland there and spoke with the most senior

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leaders in mining and people was there representing Nisga Nation and winning industry-wide awards.

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So congratulations again.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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The conversation is on the map in the city of London and from last night with the global

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mining community.

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So you've achieved one of your objectives.

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You were mentioned earlier in the conversation.

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Somebody said, nobody knows about the Nisga Nation.

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And now look at what you're achieving.

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And we hope you understand you'll be with us in next year, 2025 for the Canadian Indigenous

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Investment Summit and continue this raising awareness of the Nisga Nation.

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The First Nations to sign a modern treaty in Canada.

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I was just mentioning to the team this morning that we're looking forward to coming back

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and that was the one of the Canadian Investment Conference here.

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The Summit Humans.

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And then I said to the guys, I said, we're going to have to look at other opportunities

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we may want to pursue while we're in London.

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Absolutely.

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We're international partners.

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That's the whole purpose of the conference.

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And so, yeah, we look forward to that and love to have you participate in that.

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Do you want to talk a little bit about the initiative that you won the award for?

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Yes, the Nations Royalty, the Nisga Nation that after it was presented by Frank Joustra.

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Frank Joustra approached the Nisga Nation with the idea of the Nations Royalty Indigenous

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owned.

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And for those who don't know, Frank Joustra is probably well known in the city of London,

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but a Canadian billionaire investor and behind a lot of resource companies over the years.

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And he has partnered with Nisga Nation in this new company called Nations Royalty.

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Yes.

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It's going to be the largest Indigenous owned public company.

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It's listed.

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And right now, Nations Royalty is doing a lot of the work to market, sell and brand Nations

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Royalty to meet with Indigenous peoples.

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Not just in Canada, but globally.

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We're looking at it.

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And we have been looking at going outside.

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We had Cody just go to, I think it was Japan.

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So we're going to be going all over the place to market that.

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And Nisga Nation's own 77% of the equity, the common shares of Nations Royalty?

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Yes.

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Thank you.

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We do have 77% ownership of the inequities.

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We're going to be talking to Cody Penner of Nations Royalty in an upcoming episode.

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I think that'll be our first conversation in 2025.

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That's right.

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That's great.

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Thank you for your time today.

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I mean, it is absolutely wonderful to have you here in the city of London.

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And as Rob and I are both Canadians as well, it's very special to have the President of

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Nisga Nation, which is the first modern treaty Canada here, and helping hopefully put the

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Nisga Nation on the map and top of mind for more and more people around the world.

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So that is really something.

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And clearly your leadership has helped your people get to where they are today.

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And you're standing on the shoulders of obviously great men and women who brought you here today,

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not just from your family, but the leaders from the council.

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When you think of 1910, they started this issue over 110 years.

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If only they could see today what their early initiatives have started.

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That's inspiring for all Canadians and I think all Indigenous peoples around the world.

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So congratulations.

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Thank you.

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And I want to say Nyaowen Goa, thank you very much for taking the time out of a busy schedule

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and a visit to London to drop by our offices here in London and talk to us a little bit

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about things that are going on in Nisga Nation.

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Congratulations again on the award.

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Thank you.

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And safe travels back to Canada.

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Thank you.

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Thank you for having me.

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We wish you, of course, and your family a very Merry Christmas.

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Oh yes, for sure, Merry Christmas.

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That's all for today.

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A big thank you to Eva Clayton for sharing her insights.

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If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe and leave a review on our YouTube

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channel at Drum Beats Podcast.

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You can also follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more platforms listed in the description.

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Mark your calendars for the 2025 summit, which will take place on the 10th of April next

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year.

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Thanks for listening to Drum Beats.

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Until next time, I'm Mark McNaka.