Indigenous owned means the nation or the family holds the business, not that a tour includes a cultural stop.
The short answer: look for operators that are majority Indigenous owned and accredited by Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada or a provincial Indigenous tourism body. That accreditation is the fastest filter, because it verifies ownership rather than theme.
What counts and what does not
An Indigenous owned business is at least fifty one percent owned and controlled by First Nations, Inuit or Metis people, or by a nation, band or development corporation. A non Indigenous tour company that stops at a cultural centre is not an Indigenous owned business, however good the stop is. Both can be worth your money, but only one keeps the revenue in the community.
Where the strongest experiences are
British Columbia has the deepest inventory: coastal guiding, lodges and food experiences across Vancouver Island, the Great Bear Rainforest and the Okanagan, where Nk'Mip Cellars, owned by the Osoyoos Indian Band, became the first Indigenous owned winery in North America when it opened in 2002. Alberta and Saskatchewan are strong in interpretive land experiences and bison. Quebec's Wendake and the Innu communities of the Cote-Nord run year round cultural lodging. The Northwest Territories and Nunavut hold the aurora, floe edge and Arctic char experiences, which are almost entirely Inuit and Dene operated.
Booking etiquette that actually matters
Ask before photographing people, ceremonies or regalia, and accept no as a complete answer. Do not ask a guide to explain another nation's practices, because they are distinct nations, not a single culture. Pay for knowledge as you would pay for any professional guiding. And book direct where you can, since community operated businesses feel platform commission harder than a chain does.
Season and access
Many northern and remote operators run tight seasons set by ice, migration or fishing rather than by the calendar, and they often sell out a year ahead. Coastal and southern operators run longer seasons. If a date matters, contact the operator directly rather than waiting for an online listing to open.