Recruit, Retain & Grow
Indigenous Talent
Canada’s workforce is changing. Ascend brings employers, Indigenous talent and workforce partners together to rethink how organizations recruit, retain and grow Indigenous people, from first opportunity through leadership.
January 20 & 21, 2027 | Ottawa
100% Indigenous-Owned & Led
From the Founders of Rezolution Summit
100% Indigenous Lead & Owned
What Is Ascend?
Ascend is a two-day Indigenous workforce strategy conference built around three connected challenges: Recruit. Retain. Grow.
Because hiring Indigenous talent is only one part of the equation.
Organizations need better ways to find and recognize talent. They need workplaces where Indigenous employees can belong, contribute and build lasting careers. And they need to create pathways into increasingly complex, influential and senior opportunities, including management, executive and board leadership.
Ascend brings the people working across that system into the same room. Employers. Indigenous professionals and leaders. Economic development organizations. Community and workforce partners. Educators and training organizations.
The goal isn’t to talk about Indigenous employment from one direction. It’s to exchange knowledge, experience, relationships and opportunity, and build stronger workforce strategies because of it.
Why Ascend
Who are you not finding, and why? Who are you losing, and why? Who are you not developing, and why?
Most organizations aren’t starting from zero. They’ve made commitments. They’ve launched initiatives. They’ve recruited Indigenous employees, built partnerships or invested in reconciliation.
The harder question is what happens next.
3 Core commitments: Recruit, Retain & Grow
Recruit. Retain. Grow.
Recruit means looking beyond the same channels, credentials and assumptions to find and recognize talent differently.
Retain means understanding what actually makes people stay, contribute, belong and build a career.
Grow means recognizing potential and creating pathways into greater responsibility, complexity, leadership and influence.
These aren’t three separate conversations. They are connected parts of a workforce strategy, and progress in one strengthens the others.
Ascend is where we work on all three.
Come With Questions.
Leave With Something You Can Use.
Ascend isn’t designed to send you home with a notebook full of ideas you never revisit.
Throughout the two days, delegates will be challenged to connect what they’re hearing to their own organization. What needs to change? What can move now? Where does a different conversation need to begin?
By the end of Ascend, you’ll identify a commitment under each part of the framework: one thing you will Recruit differently, one thing you will Retain differently and one thing you will Grow differently.
Practical Approaches You Can Take Back to Work
Frameworks, examples and ideas you can adapt to your organization’s recruitment, retention and talent development challenges.
Relationships That Extend Beyond the Conference
Connect directly with Indigenous leaders, professionals, employers and workforce partners who bring different knowledge, experience and opportunities to the conversation.
A Stronger Business Case
Return to your leadership team better equipped to connect Indigenous workforce participation with talent strategy, organizational performance and economic reconciliation.
A Clear Next Move
Not another conference that ends when you leave the room. Leave knowing what you want your organization to do differently next.
Professional Development Recognition
Complete the two-day Ascend program and receive a certificate recognizing your participation in Indigenous recruitment, retention and workforce development learning.
400 Seats available before this sells out
Who Should Attend
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VPs, directors, and managers responsible for sourcing, hiring, and workforce planning.
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The people accountable for turning reconciliation commitments into measurable outcomes.
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CEOs, COOs, and CHROs setting the workforce strategy their organization will be judged on.
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EDOs, band-owned enterprises, and community organizations building talent pipelines.
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Agency and in-house recruiters looking to build authentic, lasting community relationships.
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Policy and program leads responsible for Indigenous employment outcomes and reporting.
Agenda
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What You'll Walk Away With
A concrete commitment, not just inspiration. Every delegate leaves having named one Recruit commitment, one Retain commitment, and one Grow commitment to bring back to their organization. Not just ideas. A plan for Monday morning.
A workforce strategy you can act on
Practical frameworks for recruitment, retention, and advancement — not theory.
Direct access to decision-makers
Two days in the room with the leaders and organizations shaping Indigenous economic reconciliation.
An industry-recognized certificate
Leave with an Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Certificate that can be added to your resume and LinkedIn
Proof for your board or leadership team
A concrete, credible story of what your organization is doing on economic reconciliation — and why it matters.
Venue & Logistics
Everything you need to plan your trip.
Venue: Ottawa Marriott Hotel 100 Kent Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5R7
Welcome: Reception — Tuesday, January 19, 2027
Forum Dates: Wednesday–Thursday, January 20–21, 2027
Hours: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, both days
Capacity: 400 delegates