Federal Contracting in Comprehensive Land Claims Areas

Comprehensive land claims negotiations aim to resolve the unfinished business of treaty making with Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Claims negotiations take place in parts of the country where Aboriginal land rights have not been dealt with by past treaties or through other legal means.

Comprehensive land claims agreements, also known as modern treaties, define the ongoing legal, political and economic relationships between Aboriginal parties, the federal government and the provincial or territorial governments who are signatories to these agreements. To date, 22 comprehensive land claim agreements (CLCAs), covering roughly 40 percent of Canada's land mass, have been ratified and brought into effect since the announcement of the Government of Canada's claims policy in 1973.

Comprehensive land claim agreements often contain provisions for economic development that oblige Canada to conduct procurement, or the purchase of goods, services or construction, in such a way that is fair, transparent, and opens the bidding process to Aboriginal groups in comprehensive land claim agreement areas.

In June 2008, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) changed contracting reporting requirements in order to improve transparency and accountability relating to the Government of Canada’s contracting activities in comprehensive land claim areas. These guidelines require government departments and agencies to collect information about federal contracting activity in comprehensive land claim agreement areas and for this information to be compiled in quarterly and annual reports that are posted on Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s website.

These reports also fulfill a commitment made by the federal government, in response to the Auditor General’s 2007 report concerning the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, to improve the reporting and monitoring of federal contracting activities in comprehensive land claim agreement areas. The reports are also in keeping with the Government of Canada's commitment to accountability and transparency to Canadians.

What information is available?

Quarterly Reports:

In these reports, you will find up-to-date information about the contracting activity of federal departments and agencies in comprehensive land claim areas, along with a brief description of the contract, its value and the name of the contractor. You can access these searchable reports in various ways. If you know the name of a particular comprehensive land claim agreement or fiscal quarter, you can search by name. Search the quarterly reports.

Annual Reports:

Because the collection of information regarding federal contracting activity started in 2009, the first annual report was posted in October 2010.

To learn more about the new reports, please review the key definitions and frequently asked questions.

Related publications:

Aboriginal self-government: Federal policy guide