In response to the exclusion of Indigenous people from natural resources management, the Canadian federal government announced that they would provide $25 million over four years to support the development of Indigenous Guardians programs across Canada. The program was promised to “provide Indigenous Peoples with greater opportunity to exercise responsibility in stewardship of their traditional lands, waters and ice” (Government of Canada 2020). I used a case study approach to explore the role of this funding to support Indigenous communities in their Guardians initiatives. I facilitated semi-structured interviews with staff from five Indigenous Guardians programs from BC and Manitoba, Canada. Participants suggested that the federal pilot program was a step in the right direction to support environmental stewardship initiatives led by Indigenous governments or communities. In particular, this program was successful in increasing monitoring of the land, collaboration with like-minded groups, and facilitating the education of youth by community Elders.
