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In 2017, Canada marked 150 years since its confederation. Whether to celebrate or not to celebrate was debated and discussed in the media, in Indigenous communities, and around dinner tables. The concept of not celebrating confederation was a profound shock to some but due to the benefit of the debates, awareness was raised that Indigenous Peoples have lived on the land now known as Canada for far longer than 150 years. From those debates, a parallel but different celebration was launched - Canada 150+. The debates, discussions, and conversations triggered by the Canada 150 and Canada 150+ celebrations also brought insight to some regarding the impact those 150 years had on Indigenous Peoples.

When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report was published in 2015 it revealed the reality of residential schools, the damage the schools have done to the survivors, their families, their culture, their identity, and the ongoing impacts of that damage. The TRC Report also included 94 Calls to Action (CTAs) for governments, institutions, and organizations to support reconciliation.

The TRC Report has motivated many in the public and private sectors to look within and find ways and means of enacting the relevant CTAs. Since 2015, there have been some inspiring and heartening examples of reconciliation actions, particularly in the recognition of traditional or treaty land acknowledgement at the beginning of government and corporate meetings, art events, sports events, and educational facilities.

The quality of your relationship with an Indigenous community will be measured by the effort invested and the integrity of your team. You have to realize why it is critical that a respectful relationship is fundamental to the success of any pending business partnership. If you hold onto the concept that it’s a business-to-community relationship you are developing as opposed to a business-to-business relationship, then you will be off to a good start.

Airports - we all travel through them but how often do we actually ponder the Indigenous relations aspect of the operation? These transportation hubs are located on vast tracts of land, which means their existence has had, and continues to have, an impact on one or more Indigenous community.

I recently received an email from Nicole Gareau, Presidente Comité Régional de Direction, CCC, who had read the article on Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. in Bridging the Divide, The Costco Connection - March/April 2017. Nicole reached out because, as the representative Canadian Advisory Committee (CAC), she is looking for Indigenous advisors to volunteer with the CAC.

We don’t respond to every request for help but the work Nicole is doing is invaluable and we want to support her efforts to make a difference in the lives of Indigenous inmates.

Recently, in the media, there has been a discussion of racial profiling of Indigenous and other consumers. In this article we talk about the profiling of Indigenous consumers by retailers and provide hints and tips for retailers should they feel their organization practices Indigenous racial profiling.

"A central finding of this research is that Aboriginal procurement is not the same as traditional supply chain management. Procurement from Aboriginal contractors and communities involves relationship building and sustained partnership development in a manner unique from the typical request for proposal-style of supply chain contracting and service procurement that mining operations typically followed in the past. As such, procurement agreements with Aboriginal suppliers need to be approached and understood differently." [1]

A procurement strategy is the plan for to how your organization will procure (acquire) the cost-effective goods and services required to successfully operate. An Indigenous procurement strategy (IPS) is just as it sounds - a strategy to procure cost-effective goods and services from Indigenous firms, and is typically part of an Impact and Benefit Agreement between an organization and an Indigenous community.

While the duty to consult is a hard-fought-for, constitutionally recognized component of resource project development, in reality, it can be an onerous burden for an Indigenous community. In ‘Duty to Consult’ a Cruel Joke If First Nations Can’t Handle the Load, Alex Power, a Regulatory and Research Specialist with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, defines the impact the duty to consult places on an Indigenous community in terms of processing the associated tsunami of paperwork. Here’s his description of what’s involved in terms of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a major project:

Expanded and updated May 11, 2018

Language has the power to respect and honour, or, hurt and offend and that is particularly true when working across cultures. Within that frame of reference, we respectfully recommend that when working with Indigenous Peoples you have an understanding of how the historical context of certain phrases can affect your communication and relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

December is typically a month in which many Canadians look for ways to provide some financial assistance to not-for-profit organizations that help certain groups of people. There is no shortage of these organizations and causes - some are so large and omnipresent, such as United Way, they are household names, others not so much.