Advancing Indigenous Trade Relationships
The University of Victoria hosted an Indigenous Laws and Transpacific Trade symposium May 22-23 designed to strengthen capacity of Indigenous communities and businesses to participate in global trade, and to identify barriers in the further implementation of the (IPETCA).
The IPETCA is a cooperation-based arrangement endorsed by Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan, which seeks to enhance the ability of Indigenous Peoples’ access to benefits and opportunities created by international trade and investment.
The symposium brought together 40 participants, including representatives from Indigenous nations in Japan (Ainu), Taiwan (Paiwan, Seediq) New Zealand (Māori) and throughout Canada (including the Mohawk, Kwakwaka’wakw, Plains Cree and Coast Salish Nations).
The conversations centered on Indigenous laws, ethics and principles governing local and global trade relations, economic empowerment, ecological balance, relationality and wellbeing.
“This symposium underscored the importance of strong relationships and meaningful dialogue between Indigenous peoples. These connections are not only important to the success of IPETCA but to Indigenous futures in general.”
—Sarah Morales, Associate Professor, JD/JID Program Director, Law.
The goal is to strengthen Canada’s commitments to working with Indigenous partners in Canada and the Indo-Pacific region. In doing so, the two gatherings aim to enable Indigenous economic empowerment and relationships in accordance with Indigenous legal and ethical principles.
The symposium generated important questions about Indigenous legal principles that are relevant to the implementation of IPETCA. These conversations will be further explored in the wider Indo-Pacific context in the second symposium on this theme in Taiwan at the National Dong Hwa University in Spring 2026.
The symposiums are sponsored through funds The funding is part of GAC’s Regional Connectivity Envelope (RCE) which supports Canadian non-governmental organizations, Indigenous organizations representing First Nations, Inuit and Metis, and academics as they pursue initiatives with Indo-Pacific partners in key areas of mutual interest such as security, climate and trade.
Additional sponsors are UVic President’s Chair in Law and Indigeneity, UVic Faculty of Law, the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office, and the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives’ (CAPI) Jarislowsky Japan Chair.
The symposium was organized with the support of the CAPI. This project is led by Pooja Parmar, UVic Associate Professor and President’s Chair in Law and Indigeneity in a Global Context, and CAPI Senior Research Fellow, in collaboration with Awi Mona, Professor and Director of the Department of Institute of Financial and Economic Law, National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) in Taiwan, Sarah Morales, Associate Professor UVic Law, Darcy Lindberg, Assistant Professor, UVic Law, and ann-elise lewallen, Associate Professor, UVic Pacific and Asian Studies.
