Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
CALGARY – When Annie Korver sits down with a new corporate or small business client, she encourages them to focus first on the “truth” part of Truth and Reconciliation.
Organizations often hire Korver to help them develop a reconciliation action plan – the term for a formal document setting out what a company plans to do to improve its relationship with Canada’s aboriginal people.
But the Fernie, BC founder and head of Rise Consulting says companies must first address the reality of this country’s painful past.
“I’ll ask them, ‘What experiences have you had? Have you read some books? Have you been in an (indigenous) community?’ And that helps me be able to come up with recommendations for how we could walk together,” Korver said.
“We always start at the beginning with the history of colonial damage, because many people, they still don’t know. That’s the norm, really. They will say, ‘I was not taught this.'”
It has been almost a decade since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report summarizing the legacy of residential schools in Canada. As part of its report, the commission included a call to action for corporate Canada to make commitments to aboriginal people in a variety of areas, including consultation, relationship building, jobs and training.
And as businesses work to address that call, it has created an opportunity for Indigenous-led companies like Korver’s. At Rise, Korver and her associates offer everything from advice on how to “decolonize” a company’s brand to how to develop an Indigenous acquisition strategy.
Another consulting firm, Eagle Spirit Business Development, counts cultural awareness training among the services it offers to its corporate clients. Founder Jeremy Thompson, whose office is located on the Tsuut’ina Nation near Calgary, said he helps clients recognize that some of the day-to-day expressions and terms they use may in their business being offensive to Indigenous Canadians.
“One of the most common is ‘totem pole,’ as in, ‘I’m the low guy on the totem pole,'” Thompson said.
“And a lot of the time, people use ‘pow-wow’ to refer to a meeting of colleagues.”
Thompson also often works as a liaison between businesses and Indigenous communities, helping to make presentations when companies want to do business or build a project on First Nations land.
This type of role is not new – corporations have long employed Indigenous relations advisors to help smooth their path, especially as Indigenous consent has become essential in obtaining regulatory approval for major projects such as oil pipelines or power transmission lines. .
Thompson said that while some companies still see Indigenous engagement as a box they have to check, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to action has motivated others to really try to do better.
“There are some companies that still do the basic requirements because they have to for regulatory status or a project,” he said.
“But there are some, and I work with one company like this today, who go above and beyond… they do things because they want to, not because they have to.”
Some of Canada’s largest corporations have internal and external experts to help them with their reconciliation goals. At the Bank of Montreal, an external Indigenous advisory council provides advice, but the bank also has dedicated internal roles.
For example, Clio Straram – BMO’s head of Indigenous banking – leads a team dedicated to offering financial services to Indigenous communities, while Amanda Ens works to improve the bank’s recruitment practices as head of Indigenous talent strategy.
“As an indigenous woman whose family has been directly affected by residential schools, I am very proud that my voice is now contributing to decisions that support indigenous people,” said Ens.
Straram said she felt her job was one of the most rewarding roles at the bank.
“The most common thing that we do, which is lending to First Nations and Indigenous governments for building backup infrastructure and in their communities … has such an impact on people’s lives.”
Korver of Rise Consulting said one of the best parts of working with corporate clients on Indigenous issues is seeing what she calls the “a-ha” moments. These often come when she leads a workplace training session for non-Indigenous workers, many of whom have never seriously thought about issues such as economic reconciliation or decolonisation.
“You might see it in the form of goosebumps on their skin, or their eyes might have tears in them. They have made a small change, and because of that they will use their agency and influence in a bigger way to support the development of Truth and Reconciliation,” he said.
“I love those moments.”
This report was first published by The Canadian Press in September. 29, 2024.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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