Weaving Two Worlds: Economic Reconciliation Between Indigenous Peoples and the Resource Sector

By Christy Smith and Michael McPhie

The resource sector must embrace Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

Much of the land, the waters, and all that lived upon or in them is, or was once, under the stewardship of Indigenous Peoples. But when it comes to resource extraction, Indigenous communities have often paid the highest price, and received the least in the way of benefit. That’s changing, and quickly. Today and in the future, the involvement in and views of Indigenous communities for any large-scale proposed development project are critical.

In Weaving Two Worlds, Christy Smith and Michael McPhie offer insights, knowledge, and guidance from their decades of work between resources companies and Indigenous communities. Smith and McPhie offer two voices from two worlds—Indigenous and non-Indigenous—to show how the resource sector can play a meaningful role in advancing Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Using powerful case studies, personal stories, guidelines, and tools for reflection, they offer an invaluable guide for understanding decolonization and becoming an ally. You’ll gain practical skills and tips on how to build meaningful, mutually productive relationships with Indigenous Peoples, from initial consultation to project planning and development.

Weaving Two Worlds offers a practical roadmap to a future in which Indigenous rights are fully acknowledged, both in law and in practice. Whether Indigenous or non-Indigenous, we breathe the same air, drink the same water, and rely on the Earth to provide for our well-being. We all have an opportunity to move forward and repair the harm of biases and colonial practices, and work to realize a sustainable future that benefits all of humanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christy Smith
• Release date: Mar 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781774582428

Christy Smith

Christy Smith is a member of K’ómoks First Nation living in her traditional territory on Vancouver Island. Being bicultural has allowed Christy to authentically navigate both Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds while working in the resource sector for over twenty-five years. Engaging and building good relationships are at the core of what Christy does as a changemaker, mentor, liaison, project manager, and engagement expert. She has facilitated workshops, presented at national mining conventions, instructed at universities, de-escalated complex situations, mentored Indigenous entrepreneurs, negotiated countless benefits agreements, advocated on behalf of First Nations governments and industry proponents, and built capacity within every organization of which she has been a part. Christy currently serves as a partner and vice president, Indigenous and Stakeholder Relations, with Falkirk Environmental Consultants Ltd. of Vancouver and vice president, Sustainability, with TDG Gold Corp.

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Introduction

In a recent article in Maclean’s magazine, Murray Sinclair, a retired senator and former chair of the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was asked his thoughts on reconciliation and shallow symbolic acts, like social media posts and wearing orange T-shirts, versus doing things that are more substantive and could make a tangible difference. It is an important question and one that many may struggle with when seeing injustice, racism, or harm in the world and want to try and do something about it. What is the right response? And what if your response only appears symbolic to some but means something to you? Does that make it wrong or somehow not enough?

Senator Sinclair, with reference to commission member Marie Wilson, responded that what is important is that you do something—whatever that is. Whether it’s wearing an orange shirt or talking to kids or sending money to a good Indigenous cause, you are doing something, and those things are all good. 1

This book, these stories, and the collaboration of two voices, of two worlds—Indigenous and non-Indigenous—presenting different ways of knowing and understanding is our attempt to try and do something. We do not know if this will change anything or anyone, but we sincerely hope it will. We come to this with humility and recognition that ours are only two voices among many, and we cannot profess to speak for anyone but ourselves.

In sharing the knowledge, experience, and wisdom we have gained over our lives and careers at the front line of relationships between resource companies and Indigenous communities, our hope is that we can help bridge understanding between these two worlds.

Ally and Allyship

Our overarching goal of this work is to shift the thinking of those in the resource sector to seeing themselves as allies with Indigenous communities—recognizing that through deepening understanding, it will be possible to strengthen relation-ships and create opportunities for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses and communities.

What do we mean by ally, and what is allyship? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the verb ally as to combine or unite a resource or commodity with (another) for mutual benefit. This has further evolved to the noun allyship, which refers to a supportive association with another person or group.

This concept has been further described through Sheree Atcheson’s research into diversity in the workplace, where she describes allyship as:

A lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people.

Not self-defined—work and efforts must be recognized by those you are seeking to ally with.

An opportunity to grow and learn about ourselves whilst building confidence in others.

In this book, when we refer to being an ally and to allyship, we are referring to the ideas reflected in the above definitions. Also, in being an ally with Indigenous communities:

The resource sector will be in a supportive association with Indigenous communities.

The association of the resource sector is recognized and welcomed by the Indigenous community in question.

There is a recognition that building supportive relationships should be approached as a lifelong effort based on trust, consistency, and accountability.

Being an ally does not in any way take away an Indigenous community’s right or obligation to pursue a just and prosperous future for themselves based on their own terms, defined by them and only them.

Who Is This Book For?

We recognize that there is a diverse and varied level of awareness, understanding, and recognition of the importance of positive relationships between the resource sector and Indigenous Peoples in Canada and globally—and that people come into this discussion with their own history, experiences, and filters through which they see the world. Although we believe this is one of the most critical issues facing the future of both Indigenous communities and the resource sector globally, not everyone shares that view. There are those within the resource sector who are already making positive changes and influencing attitudes within their organizations, their industries, and their families, as well as with friends and others. These are the people who make reconciliation a part of their daily lives, are culturally aware and self-aware, and look for opportunities to move the dialogue forward in a positive way.

There are also those who are aware of and care about the issues, and when confronted with the harsh side of colonialism, they recognize injustice and harm and want to know more. However, they might struggle with understanding Indigenous culture and are not sure how to act or make a difference. They can be challenged by complex legal positions regarding who owns what and how that might affect their own business or personal interests. They might worry about making mistakes in what they say or do, and they may not recognize their own biases. They have heard about white privilege, and they support the ideas of reconciliation, decolonization, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, but they do not fully understand how they or their organization might engage with these seemingly complex topics. They want to be and to be seen as leaders in working with Indigenous communities. They recognize the importance of this work in the context of the resource sector and are willing to try and learn new ways of doing things. But again, they might struggle with how best to go about doing this.

Is this you?

Are you looking for tools, understanding, and insights into how to engage and build meaningful, respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples and communities? Are you interested in helping improve the relationship between the resource sector and Indigenous communities?

If so, then this book is for you.

Whether you are a resource company CEO, board member, or manager working with a service or supply company to the resource sector or a future leader in the industry, we believe there is something here for you to learn. Or if you are an individual looking at a possible career in this important sector of the global economy—we think there is something here for you.

We believe that the resource sector and the people within it have a meaningful role to play in advancing reconciliation. We have seen the positive influence when those in positions of power use it to ally themselves with advancing the well-being of Indigenous Peoples, and that is what we are trying to do here—help the resource sector and the people within it to become allies with Indigenous Peoples and provide guidance on how to use their positions of influence, be they big or small, to make true reconciliation possible.

Just because you want to be an ally doesn’t mean you will not cause unintentional harm. In your eagerness to do the right thing or to become an ally, you might exhibit guilt, white privilege, or microaggressions, and you might also hold untrue assumptions and stereotypes.

We believe that Indigenous communities can benefit from the support and allyship of the resource sector and the people within it. Whether considering economic prosperity, acknowledgement of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and communities in participating directly in decisions that affect them, or in the ownership of land and resources—and self-determination and pursuits determined solely by the Indigenous community—the resource sector can and should be allies in these pursuits. If this is done right, the outcome will be greater social, environmental, and economic well-being for all.

Of course, much work remains to be done. Insincerity, ignorance, racism, and an absence of respect still exists. Too many leaders in industry have not taken the time to understand the issues, and instead they continue to perpetuate stereotypes. This will continue to be a challenge, and we are not naive enough to think differently. This is the beginning of change, and there is an opportunity to move things forward in a good way. That is the path we are trying to carve and that we hope you will follow.

Economic Reconciliation

So, what is it that we mean when we discuss the idea of economic reconciliation between the resource sector and Indigenous Peoples? Let’s start first with reconciliation in the context of Indigenous Peoples, both in Canada and globally. For us, the definition of reconciliation as defined by the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in their 2015 final report captures this the best: Reconciliation is about establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country. In order for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour.

As with the negative consequences of such policies as the residential school system, there has been similar harm inflicted on Indigenous Peoples worldwide from the exploitation of natural resources—without, in many cases, any material benefits coming back to them. And these have often been the same people who endured the most harm through environmental destruction, loss of livelihood, cultural and community displacement, and the legacies of scarred landscapes or waterways. Basically, they were enduring all the risk and harm and receiving none of the benefits.

Economic reconciliation is about acknowledging this past and the harm that has come from it, atoning for the causes, and taking concrete steps to change behaviour. This includes such key issues as full recognition of Indigenous rights, prior and informed consent, collaborative/shared decision-making, sharing of benefits, and equity participation.

So, Who Are We?

Christy Smith

My full name is Christina Marie Smith (née White and now Hadath). My maternal great-grandmother is the late Henriette Marie Daniels (Addie) from Cowichan Tribes, and my maternal great-grandfather is the late Ernest Hardy from K’ómoks. Both survivors of the Kuper Island Indian Residential School, they married in 1935. My paternal grandmother, Constance Hardy, also a survivor of the Kuper Island Indian Residential School, married my grandfather, Roy Farrell, of settler descent, in 1956. My biological parents are Diana and Mark Farrell, and my adoptive parents who raised me are Dan and Val White. My Indigenous family is from the Bear clan.

You may have heard others identify themselves in this way. Why do I introduce myself this way? I was taught that it is important to introduce ourselves by first identifying who and where we came from and then to call upon our ancestors and those still with us—by saying their names out loud—to stand by us when we share moments and stories. And they, in essence, share their stories through me.

As noted above, like many of my Indigenous colleagues in my age group, I did not grow up in my community; I was adopted into a white settler home. However, I view myself as lucky and privileged; my adoptive family was loving and let me know when I was really young that I was adopted and from an Indigenous community. Because adoptions were closed back then, they couldn’t tell me which community I was from, but in an effort to keep me engaged with wanting to seek my complete identity, they provided me with Indigenous-looking dolls, books, beaded necklaces, and moccasins. In no way did they understand or think about the stereotypes or assumptions associated with these gifts; they did this out of kindness and love and to remind me that I was special. From a young age, my passion was to find my culture, traditions, and ways of knowing, and my ancestral DNA and the Creator pushed me in the direction to find it.

When I went to elementary school, there were a few of us who were Indigenous, but when we were that age, we never cared about race or colour. In Grade 4, my parents asked if I wanted a sister. Well, what kid doesn’t want a sibling, especially a sister who could help me combat my two brothers who always banded together against me? I remember that my parents brought out these green hardcover books, and we opened them together. Inside were pictures of Indigenous children; some were on their own and others were in groups of two to five. I remember thinking that some were darker than me, some were lighter; I wondered if maybe one was my cousin or relative. My parents chose to meet a young girl named Jaimie from Nisga’a, who later became my sister. She lived with us from the age of ten until she ran away at age fifteen. Her story is for another book, as it is filled with sadness and the common horrific stories we hear about East Vancouver, including her barely escaping being a victim of Robert Pickton. I visited her multiple times, and I think that was a turning point for me and a realization that I needed to do something to help our people.

After high school I became pregnant with my oldest son, Josh, a.k.a. Ari James; he was my rock and my reason for leaving the party scene and starting to fight for Indigenous rights. At the same time, I met my biological parents and did a personal journey back to K’ómoks to meet family. I remember saying I was going to university, and I was told that I was going to a white man’s school to lose who I was. That comment stuck with me. How could this be, I wondered, when I was on a journey to find myself? At nineteen, I had no idea who I was—regardless of finding my Indigenous way. Now, reflecting back, I see that this was definitely my relatives’ reaction to having residential schooling imposed on them.

I decided to move to Edmonton and attend the University of Alberta to obtain my Native Studies degree, as I wanted to become a lawyer and fight for our communities’ land to be returned, which in turn would bring healing to our communities and people. Everywhere I went, I immersed myself in Indigenous communities, language, and