Aboriginal representation will boost Corporate Canada’s bottom line – The Globe and Mail
Aug. 08, 2015
The relationship between Corporate Canada and aboriginal people is at a critical inflection point. Until very recently, that relationship was dictated by bottom-line results with little if any engagement of aboriginal communities, which had limited economic and political power. That is changing as these same aboriginal communities are finding their voice and the support of the Supreme Court, which has significantly broadened the scope of aboriginal land rights with last year’s Tsilhqot’in decision and shifted the balance of power in the process. The historic judgment builds on the 200 major land rights’ cases indigenous people have already won across the country by declaring aboriginal title to lands outside of a reserve. It has also shifted the balance of power.
Natural resources account for almost 20 per cent of Canada’s GDP. Many development projects are in the backyards of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. Corporations that want to operate successfully in these communities have to consult, accommodate and find new ways of building or rebuilding relationships that have been broken for some time, or risk economic loss.
