Indigenous artists had a strong showing at the Juno Award nominations, being shortlisted in the Canadian music competition in several categories.

A Tribe Called Red was nominated for Group of the Year. Their music merges electronic dance elements with traditional music, and wraps it all around politics.

Tanya Tagaq's Retribution has been nominated for Alternative Album of the Year. Her music confronts violence against women, residential school abuses and environmental destruction.

Tanya Tagaq performs 'Retribution' for CBC Music's First Play Live. 15:29

Inuusiq​ by The Jerry Cans has been nominated for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year, and the band also picked up a nod for Breakthrough Group of the Year.

Nunavut Sivuniksavut and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra have been nominated for Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble for their work on The Shaman & Arctic Symphony.

Buffy Sainte-Marie was nominated twice, for Indigenous Music Album of the Year and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year, for Medicine Songs. She describes her music as activist songs that are "very positive" tracks and are meant to uplift, not only protest.

Longhouse, whose frontman Josh Cayer is from Kitigan Zibi First Nation, was nominated for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year.

Indigenous music album of the year nominees

Other nominees for Indigenous Music Album of the Year are DJ Shub for PowWowStep​, Indian City for Here & Now, Iskwé for The Fight Within and ​Kelly Fraser for Sedna.

My lifelong dream just came to fruition! My band <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianCityMusic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndianCityMusic</a> was just nominated for <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJUNOAwards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJUNOAwards</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDIGENOUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDIGENOUS</a> Album of the Year!<br>Congratulations to all our fellow nominees!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JUNOS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JUNOS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TuesdayThoughts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TuesdayThoughts</a> <a href="https://t.co/L2TTiVHiWq">pic.twitter.com/L2TTiVHiWq</a> —@ShannonMcKenney

The Juno Awards broadcast gala airs live from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver on March 25 on CBC-TV, CBC Radio and CBCMusic.ca.