Business and Reconciliation (92)

Current Reality

Business Council of Canada, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Conference Board of Canada, Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) and numerous business associations have all made recommendations or commitments aligned with C2A 92. Very little follow-up activity though especially in response to the number of Indigenous protests across the country in relation to Free, Prior and Informed Consent, Duty to Consult, environmental impacts etc.

“85 percent of Canadian businesses are in no way engaged with Indigenous communities.” A new report commissioned by Indigenous Works and prepared by R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd.

New research suggests that more than five in six Canadian businesses are completely disengaged with Canada’s indigenous peoples. The opportunity now is to view this metric as an incentive to partner with a committed and fast-growing community that has much to offer. By engaging with Indigenous communities, Canadian businesses can realize a host of important immediate and long-term benefits:

• opportunities to expand into new markets
• access to Canada’s fastest growing demographic and labour pool
• enhanced corporate reputations in the eyes of Indigenous peoples and Canadians of all walks of life, and
• more respectful and accommodating workplace cultures

The survey divides corporate Canada into four broad groups:

Disengaged Majority: have not prioritized engagement in any way
Engagement Novices: initial stages of understanding value of engagement
Relationship Developers: appreciate value of long-term partnerships
Committed Partners: demonstrate capacities to sustain partnerships and create positive outcomes

Feb. 27, 2024: National Indigenous economic organizations spearhead First Nations procurement organization

June 6, 2022: “National Indigenous Economic Strategy: Pathways to Socioeconomic Parity for Indigenous Peoples” identifies 107 Calls to Economic Prosperity across 4 strategic pathways: People, Lands, Infrastructure and Finance – that taken together will eliminate barriers to the full participation of Indigenous people in the Canadian economy.