The Northwest Territories is transforming its economy to supply the critical minerals the world needs—and bringing together the sector’s innovators in Yellowknife. For associations embracing the future, Canada offers unique access to the leaders shaping the sustainable and digital economy.

For decades, gemstones underpinned the economy of Canada’s Northwest Territories—one of the largest producers of diamonds globally. Now, in a world scrambling to source the components required by communications, energy, health, and defence technologies, the region is translating this mining expertise and resource wealth to supply the critical minerals at the heart of the modern global economy.  

A Region at a Crossroads 

With boreal forest to the south and Arctic tundra to the north, the Northwest Territories covers an area larger than France and Spain combined. Indigenous Peoples have lived there for time immemorial, with 33 communities across the region.  

Today, the Northwest Territories is home to just over 45,000 people, with around half the population living in the capital, Yellowknife—surrounded by mineral-rich terrain that includes gold, silver, tungsten, copper, and diamonds. 

Mining this wealth of resources has been a powerful economic driver for the region, fuelling everything from an early 20th-century gold rush to diamond dominance. Now, the transition to critical minerals represents yet another opportunity for innovation. 

The technologies underpinning the sustainable and digital economy rely on critical minerals with ungainly names like neodymium and praseodymium. These elements are the lifeblood of the modern world, found in everything from the semiconductors in our smartphones to the high-strength magnets used in medical imaging equipment. They’re also indispensable for the batteries and guidance systems used in the defence sector’s navigation and control technologies. 

“We’ve always been commodity-dependent, and specifically on one commodity, which is a pretty tricky place to be,” said Caroline Wawzonek, the Northwest Territories’ deputy premier and minister responsible for strategic infrastructure, energy, and supply chains. “The silver lining is that this transition is coming at a time when there’s global attention on the need for critical minerals.” 

A Transition Centred on Indigenous Leadership 

While projects to extract critical minerals are happening in remote parts of the Northwest Territories, reachable only by air or winter ice roads, conversations about development often begin in Yellowknife. Reflecting Canada’s collaborative approach, Indigenous representatives are central to those conversations.  

“We have the opportunity to build stronger, more equitable partnerships—ones that protect our lands, environment, and culture while delivering lasting socioeconomic benefits,” said Jackson Lafferty, grand chief of the Tłı̨chǫ Government. 

The region’s transition is also aided by the federal government, which seeks to bolster the resilience and security of Canada’s supply chains. Of course, even with this alignment of interests, challenges remain.  

“You’ve got to overcome the infrastructure gap, which is vast,” said Paul Gruner, chief executive of the Tłı̨chǫ Investment Corporation, an Indigenous company tasked with advancing economic development on Tłı̨chǫ lands that span tens of thousands of square kilometers.  

Gruner said there’s an urgent need for all-season roads and a robust power grid across the region. Bridging those gaps has become a shared priority, bringing together Indigenous governments, industry, and the public sector. 

Conferences as Staging Grounds for Development 

Industry conferences have emerged as practical forums for the Northwest Territories to engage with national and international partners, and for other provinces and countries to learn from the region’s experience in resource development.  

One example is Yellowknife’s Geoscience Forum, Northern Canada’s foremost mining and exploration event. It draws delegates from around the world who want to better understand the region’s geology and infrastructure challenges, while respecting the need for Indigenous resource management. 

Wawzonek has observed a growing curiosity at these conferences about the Northwest Territories’ resource potential—and that curiosity has led to some tangible outcomes.  

In early 2025, following discussions at the Association for Mineral Exploration’s annual conference in Vancouver, the Tłı̨chǫ Government signed a preliminary agreement with Fortescue, an Australian mining company, to explore potential development projects on Tłı̨chǫ lands.  

“Northern conferences are especially powerful because they allow us to showcase our cultures, governance systems, and vision directly on our lands,” said Lafferty. “They help build understanding of our approach to balance: being strong in our language, culture, and way of life, while also being strong in Western science, technology, and the economy.” 

Learn More

For associations, meeting in Canada means more than finding a venue. It means convening alongside the innovators, Indigenous leaders, and policymakers shaping the future of the global economy. 

To learn more about hosting meetings in Canada, visit the Destination Canada website. 

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