Princeton Lecture Series

Join the 2026 Princeton Developments Ltd Distinguished Lecture in Finance with Dr. Lawrence L. Schembri, Senior Fellow and Peter M. Brown Chair of Canadian Competitiveness at the Fraser Institute, for a talk on "Indigenous access to Finance."

This talk will explore the evolving opportunities and challenges surrounding Indigenous participation in major infrastructure projects.

The session will provide an overview of recent research and highlight emerging themes in how Indigenous communities are engaging in resource development and broader economic initiatives aiming at improving Indigenous access to finance in Canada.

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Event details: 

• Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 
• Time: 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Location: Fairmont Hotel MacDonald, Edmonton
  10065 100 St NW, Edmonton, AB, T5J 0N6

Schedule: 

• 3:30 p.m. — Light refreshment and registration
• 4:00 p.m. — Lecture by Dr. Lawrence L. Schembri
• 4:30 p.m. — Audience Q & A
• 5:00 p.m. — Program ends

About Dr. Lawrence L. Schembri

A senior fellow and the Peter M. Brown Chair of Canadian Competitiveness at the Fraser Institute, he served as the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2013 until his retirement in June 2022. As a member of the Bank’s Governing Council, he shared responsibility for decisions related to monetary policy and financial system stability and for setting the bank’s strategic direction.

In 2001, he was appointed senior research director in the international department at the Bank of Canada and became its managing director in 2005. In 2010, he was appointed advisor to the governor. While at the bank, Mr. Schembri was an active researcher, publishing research on exchange rate and monetary policy in open economies, the international monetary system and financial stability.

As a champion of efforts to promote economic literacy and Indigenous economic opportunity, he sponsored the bank’s Governor’s Challenge undergraduate student competition and was a founding member of the Central Bank Network for Indigenous Inclusion. At the Fraser Institute, he has completed studies on central bank policy, the Indigenous economy in Canada and economic growth and living standards in Canada. His commentaries on Indigenous and central bank issues have appeared in major Canadian newspapers and media outlets.

He currently serves on the boards of the Tulo Centre of Indigenous Economics, the Homalco First Nation Business Group and the Yanonhchia Indigenous Housing Finance Network.
Mr. Schembri received a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Toronto, an M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT. Prior to joining the Bank of Canada, Mr. Schembri was a professor of economics at Carleton University.

He was born and raised in Toronto, where he currently lives, has two adult daughters and is a life-long Toronto Blue Jays fan.

Learn more about the lecture topic:

Major natural resource, electricity and transportation projects are critical for the future prosperity of all Canadians, especially as we strive to increase business investment and diversify our international trade.  Such projects often, if not always, take place on the traditional territories of Indigenous communities.

Partnerships with Indigenous communities through shared equity ownership and fiscal jurisdiction generate mutually beneficial returns, information sharing and risk management. In addition, they help to ensure the environmental sustainability of these projects and to preserve the land for future generations. The lack of access to finance has been a major obstacle to Indigenous economic inclusion and development.

Alberta’s experience offers useful lessons about overcoming this and other obstacles to achieving successful partnerships with Indigenous communities. Restoring Indigenous prosperity supports Indigenous self-determination and promotes economic reconciliation.

Princeton played an active role in the development of western and northern Canada. This contribution is another testament of its commitment to support the University of Alberta, its students, alumni and the business community.