According to Porter’s theory about the 5 factors of forces, one of them being rivalry. The rivalry is with a diverse group, the First Nations, that are taking over the New Prosperity Mine Park. It’s a division of Chilcotin and the mine that was found there is what’s making this a rather controversial situation, since the gold-copper project was estimated at about 1.1 billion dollars which is no longer going to go to these corporations but rather through the First Nations’ government.

This does seem a little rash as it’s only 4 months after the Supreme Court ruling, but at the same time, the First Nations have been dealt with unfairly and have been stripped of their land from years ago; and sharing some of it now shouldn’t be a problem. Businesswise, however, it is quite a loss and it’s also worrying because yes the First Nations seem as though they are progressing and organizing themselves well, in the past it’s been really easy for them to roll the other way. They tend to be rather wreckless and rash in their decisions which are made to protect themselves not in the smartest way but only in the way they know how. For example, the never-ending conflict between wanting to keep their Indian Status for the sake of tax exemptions and other small advantages but hating the sometimes negative connotations behind the word and the “limitations” they feel the status provides. Overall, I think this is a big step for the First Nation’s group to be making, maybe one that is necessary but rather it just seems that they may not be ready for it; after being treated so harshly for so many years it is going to take time for them to come back and be a strong force whilst also being effective; is this ultimately a loss for all of society and the government/economy? Only time will tell.

Sources:

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Unilateral+park+declared+Tsilhqot+includes+Prosperity+mine/10192766/story.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/background-the-indian-act-1.1056988