The aboriginal people in Canada, officially referred to as the First Nation, can act as a powerful group that could potentially change a company’s strategy. In using a PEST analysis to examine the external environment for a business, the First Nation people can be regarded as an influential aspect of the S (social) in “PEST”.

As seen in the article linked, the First Nation people strongly opposed BC Hydro’s decision to construct a dam and a hydroelectric generating station. If successfully passed, the construction would cut through the lands of the First Nation people and destroy a plethora of wildlife and forests that would affect the lives of the aboriginal people. The First Nation chiefs strongly oppose BC Hydro’s project, and plan on taking their case to the Federal Court of Canada. Evidently, there is a conflict between the business and the First Nations. The actions that the group is taking may therefore impact the strategy of BC Hydro, as the First Nation chiefs are urging the government to reject the business’s proposal. BC Hydro would therefore need to reconsider and reconfigure its current project or abandon it if it does not go through with the government due to the First Nation people’s intervention.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/First+Nation+chiefs+stage+Site+showdown/10215965/story.html