We are all rather familiar with the story of colonization. Christopher Columbus and his boat of merry men landed on the shores of Eastern Northern America, and well, the rest is history. In its truest roots, Canada has been in the spot light with balancing the power of the established Federal Government and that of the vast First Nations peoples that inhabit the land.
In Canada there are two varieties of land rights: Crown Land and Indigenous Land (traditional, ancestral, unceded territory). For example, UBC is situated on borrowed land from the Musqueam People, and we were officially granted permission to use the Thunderbird by the Kwicksutaineuk people of the B.C. west coast. Nevertheless, in countless occasions in Canadian History, there has been an ongoing debate and struggle for proper entitlement to the land and its wealth. Canada is a very prosperous nation with copious natural resources: minerals, water, lumber, etc. When the Federal Government looks to exploit these resources in order to help prosper the Canadian Economy, it often comes at the cost of moving onto Indigenous Land.
On January 27th, 2017 the First Nations of Vancouver Island placed a ban on industrial logging and mining operations, in the name of sustainability. “80% of almost 171,000 hectares will be set aside as cultural and natural area”. This is spirited in the quest to conserve the massive and rich area from inevitable ecological destruction.
Hadley Archer, Natural Conservancy Executive Director, described how this ban on industrial practices is at the pure foundations of the triple bottom line of sustainability: where social, environmental and economic significance are taken into account for the sustainable future of their globally significant ecosystems.
Upon deeper analysis, it is evident that the First Nation Council is actively taking steps in the right direction, in effort to keep their rightful land intact and by making effective use of its natural abilities. The Band has been overly concerned with the logging of old-growth forests, as well as salmon farming in the area. The Ahousaht people are presenting plans to help diversify the community’s activities by developing light infrastructure to support run-off-river hydroelectricity, tourism and lumber harvesting.
This is a powerful story of resilience and sustainability, where the people still proudly stand for the values where they can continue to prosper as an independent people, while preserving the very land upon which their ancestors lived.
In an economic system that historically relies on natural resources for its success, the battles that Indigenous peoples in Canada have had to endure is remarkable. There is opportunity to seek inspiration from these undeterred cases (as you have exemplified well) for businesses. The 2014 William’s Decision for the Tsilhqot’in Nation has been designated as a landmark case in that a portion of the Nation’s Traditional Territory was granted Aboriginal Title, and is no longer part of the Province’s Crown Land. How can businesses in Canada assist to protect these spaces from development when so much of our economy relies on resource extraction? If we look south, there is a recent example of businesses aiding in a Nation’s territory claim. The Diné people pushed to have the now Bear Ears National Monument protected. Now that it is under pressure of repeal, businesses are aiding in the fight for its protection.
The collaboration between all the Ahousaht First Nations, NGOs, and the government is a great example of how multiple stakeholders need to get involved to affect change. I also thought this spoke to how we can look to indigenous peoples all over the globe and their rich relationship with nature to find sustainable values and resource management practices. In Canada, this means that policies and business practices that empower First Nations people don’t just help with reconciliation for past wrongs – they have both a positive social impact and strong environmental impact.