Grand Chief Stewart Phillip (right), president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs

Although not often mentioned by media, First Nation issues in the business world are rather big headaches for many companies. Ever since the Indian Act, aboriginals have been restricted by Canadian laws while having the rights to decide how their land and resources should be used.
For companies such as BC Hydro, the first nations are basically a barrier to further development and expansion, since the aboriginals declare that British Columbia is Indian land, and they refuse the construction of dams.
Even though the Indian Act does preserve aboriginal cultures, it is also true that this act would lower the potential output and social benefit, for resources are underused and a large part of it would be wasted as time passes by. It is known that there are still large uninhabited areas in Canada, so the possibility of further development in economy and business is actually immeasurable.
However, the Indian Act does prevent Canada from over using what it has. I believe the policies set for aboriginal people is one of the reasons of why Canada, unlike many other developed countries, does not use up its natural resources or develop most of the land to build up new cities.