9th NATION2NATION
ANNUAL FORUM
October 21-23, 2025
WEDNESDAY SPEAKERS
KEYNOTE | Topic: TBC
PANEL SESSION 1 | Topic: Building Economic & Energy Corridors in Canada
PANEL SESSION 2 | Topic: Corridors and International Projects
FNNGA PANEL SESSION 1 | Topic: The Indigenous Natural Gas Opportunity upstream and midstream
Charles Morven
Secretary-Treasurer Nisga’a Lisims Government
Charles Morven, Secretary – Treasurer of Nisga’a Lisims Government (NLG) is serving his second term for the Nisga’a Nation, 8500 strong. Charles is of the Raven/Frog clan (Ganada), comes from Wilps Axdii Wil Luugooda/ Ksim Xsaan, and strengthened by the Nisga’a name Daaxheet. He has strong roots from the Nisga’a Village of Gitlaxt’aamiks, 1 of 4 Nisga’a Villages along the Nass River.
Secretary – Treasurer Morven works high level with NLG Executive Committee and the House of Making Laws (Wilp Si’ayuukhl Nisga’a) legislative decision tables. He holds the responsibility of chairing both Nisga’a Finance Committee, Nisga’a Capital Finance Committee, oversees and works with management of the Nisga’a Settlement Trust, supported by the 7 Nisga’a community memberships, and upholds tripartite agree ments with BC and Canada to further strengthen the Nisga’a Treaty, 25 years in the making.
Secretary – Treasurer Morven holds the responsibility as lead negotiator on behalf of NLG for benefit agreements with mining industries, Ksi Lisims LNG project, and devel oped partnership with the Fiore Group in the creation of Nations Royalty Corp. This was launched on June 20, 2024 and is the largest and first majority Indigenous owned public company trading on the TSX Venture.
Secretary – Treasurer Morven has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in First Nations Studies through UNBC and a certificate in Advanced Management attained through the UBC Sauder’s School of Business.
Secretary - Treasurer Morven currently resides in the Nisga’a Village of Gitwinksihlkw, BC, home community of beautiful wife, Nicole Morven. Charles and Nicole have one daughter Peyton Azak-Morven, and are all deeply rooted to the land, resources, and historic culture.
FNNGA PANEL SESSION 2 | Topic: Developing LNG facilities on the Coast
Andrew Robinson
Hapdii Laxha - Wilp Ni’isyuus ‘
CEO, Nisga’a Lisims Government
Andrew is a member of the Nisga’a Nation, People of the Nass River, 9000 strong. Andrew resides in his home community, the Nisga’a Village of Laxgalts’ap, he is Gisk’aast (Killerwhale tribe) and from the royal house of Ni’isyuus ‘.
Andrew served two decades as Chief Administrative Officer for the Laxgalts’ap Village Government, 1 of 4 united Nisga’a Village Governments that holds the overall authority for the Nisga’a communi ties. In 2022, Andrew served as Executive Industry Relations Manager for Nisga’a Lisims Government (NLG). In October 2023, the NLG Executive appointed him to Office of the CEO for the NLG admin istration that oversees 11 departments and 180 employees.
In the Nisga’a Legislature, Andrew sits on both the Executive Committee and Wilp Si’ayuukhl Nisga’a table bringing a wealth of knowledge, network contacts in all levels of government, and works along side all if there’s hard work to be done.
Andrew’s passion for Nisga’a governance and Nisga’a lands stems from the roots of his forebearers on the Nisga’a Land Committee, the Nisga’a Tribal Council, & predecessors of NLG knowing the im portance of traditional hunting & fishing grounds, cultural beliefs, and Nisga’a Authority over the land
THURSDAY SPEAKERS
GUEST SPEAKER | Topic: Homegrown Hope: Creating Opportunities through Connection
Lynda Gray
Author of First Nations 101
Ts'msyen Nation
Lynda Gray is a member of the Gisbutwada (Killerwhale) Clan of the Ts'msyen Nation and the community of Lax Kw’alaams on the Northwest Coast of BC. She was born in Prince Rupert but she spent most of her life in East Vancouver until she bought a home in Prince Rupert in 2013 so that she and her children could return home more often to (re)connect to their Nation, family, friends, land, language, and culture. Lynda is the proud mother of two adult children: Northwest Coast artist Phil Gray and professor Dr. Robin Gray. She and her children have learned much about their Ts'msyen culture and community from their participation in the Vancouver-based Lax Xeen Ts'msyen Dance Group, from attending traditional feasts in their home community of Lax Kw'alaams, and from active learning of their ancestral language, Sm’algya̱x. In 2023, they started the Ts’msyen Revolution Fund to provide small grants to help strengthen Ts’msyen culture and language in their home territory. Recent investments include helping youth to create traditional regalia and a scholarship for a graduating student taking Sm’algya̱x classes.
Lynda’s work is grounded in a strong belief in community development, youth empowerment, and culture as therapy. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work from UBC, served as the Executive Director of the Urban Native Youth Association for eight years, and serves on community Boards including the Indigenous Cultural Safety Advisory Circle. She focuses much of her time on community development, public education, family genealogy, and learning her ancestral language.
PANEL SESSION 3 | Topic: TBC
GUEST SPEAKER | Topic: Reawakening Canada to the Economic Contributions
Ken Coates, PhD
President of Coates Holroyd Consulting
Ken S. Coates is the President of Coates Holroyd Consulting, a research firm working primarily on Indigenous and rural development, Indigenous history and Indigenous rights. Ken is currently a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan and was the Director of the Indigenous Program at the Macdonald Laurier Institute. Dr. Coates was raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, and educated at the University of British Columbia (BC and PhD) and the University of Manitoba (MA). He has worked and studied across Canada and around the world, examining the history of Indigenous-newcomer relations, contemporary Indigenous rights and Indigenous economic re-empowerment. Among his publications is Treaty Peoples to Treaty Nations (with Greg Poelzer) with UBC Press. Ken appears regularly on national radio and television and writes regularly about Indigenous commercial and legal rights. He was appointed as a member of the Royal Society of Canada.
PANEL SESSION 4 | Topic: Mining and Forestry
PANEL SESSION 5 | Topic: What else is happening in BC and beyond
N2N BUSINESS PITCHES
