Since the Indian Act was established in 1876, the Indian Act has kept a firm grasp on aboriginal life in Canada. Aspects such as Indian status, land, resources, wills, education, band administration have been contorted to assimilate Indians into Canadian culture. Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a formal apology for “killing the Indian in the child” to Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples in 2008.

Today, Aboriginals have major influence on the Canadian government as well as large business firms. This is due to the fact that Aboriginals are major stakeholders and have the ability to raise ethical and political concern (on a communal and global scale). As a result, businesses must work their way around strict policies and regulations to create business models around their needs and demands.

In fact, we discussed a particular example that exemplifies this, where businesses cater to the demands of Aboriginals – the Alberta Oil Sands. With good reason, many Aboriginal people living in a close proximity to the oil sands fear potential health and environmental concerns. On the official Alberta oil sands website, the Albertan government states that they are taking the 23, 000 Aboriginals in the region into account. They are providing them with an outlet to voice their opinions and are making an effort to respect treaty rights.

It is evident how large of a role Aboriginals play in the world of Commerce and government affairs. Companies and corporations take the opinions of Aboriginals into account when formulating new business models, with the hope of preventing future fall out. It would not be wise to go against the wishes and demands of Aboriginals, as they can make a government’s values in environmental and ethical concerns seem questionable. However, when a firm or the government works alongside Aboriginal treaty rights, this represents a mutualistic relationship where both parties benefit. Compromise is an integral aspect of any working relationship, and business agreements amongst two very different sides, are no exemption.

Find the CBC article here and the oil sands website here.

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