Companies commit to the Aboriginal community

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Can you tell at a glance whether a business has achieved real success in building a relationship with the Aboriginal community? You can now, with the business's use of a hallmark designation earned through participation in the PAR program developed by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB).

PAR means Progressive Aboriginal Relations. The program encourages companies to assess where they are in terms of their work with the Aboriginal community, plan where they want to be, and measure their achievements along the way in four key areas of activity: employment, business development, individual capacity development and community relations.

"This isn't like an awards program," said Jocelyne Soulodre, president and CEO of CCAB. "You earn the right to use the hallmark at the appropriate level, so it wouldn't be one outstanding initiative that would get you a PAR [hallmark]. You would have to show demonstrated results and visible progress in each of the four areas."

The companies involved have to demonstrate, in a tangible way, their commitment to a relationship with the Aboriginal community that is based on trust, respect and mutual self-interest, she said.

There are four PAR hallmark designations: commitment, bronze, silver, and gold. Ten companies have joined the PAR program so far, and two of those have achieved advanced standing. Donna Cona, an IT business that is Aboriginal owned and operated, has earned the right to a silver designation, and Xerox Canada has earned a bronze. At the commitment level are Alberta Pacific Forest Industries of Boyle, Alta., BP Canada Energy Company out of Calgary, Cameco Corporation of Saskatoon, Casino Rama of Rama, Ont., Pharmacia Canada of Mississauga, Ont., Piruqsaijit of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Sodexho Marriott Services Canada of Montreal, and Syncrude Canada of Fort McMurray, Alta.

"At the commitment level, all the company has to do, essentially, is to sign a letter of intent that says, 'We have, or we will have in the next year, policies dealing with the four areas PAR looks at," said Soulodre. "And what that's designed to do is to make it as easy as possible for a company to say, 'I want to do this,' but at the same time give them enough time that they can start to work on the various issues and quadrants of activity."

Once the company is committed to the program, it has the right to use the commitment hallmark that says its registered. It can use this hallmark for one year while it assesses its current status in the four areas of activity. Within this year, the company has to apply to have this assessment verified by an independent party-the National Quality Institute (NQI)-which will perform a verification of each of the applications for recommendation beyond the commitment level.

An NQI recommendation goes to a jury for a final look, and if the jury decides the company has met the standard, then the company is designated a bronze, silver or gold hallmark.

"Generally speaking, a company that is at a bronze level is a company that, by and large, is really setting its plan, allocating resources, establishing what its targets are, and... deciding who's going to drive it," Soulodre said.

"At a silver level, that is again, generally speaking, you've got the companies that are achieving results. They're past the setting goals stage. They are actually at a stage where they've set the goals and they've been able to say, 'OK, we've made this one. We've made this one. Whoops, we didn't make that one...' A company at a silver level is one that has been doing this for a while and has had some successes in terms of meeting their own goals and objectives."

At the gold level, said Soulodre, are the companies that can demonstrate sustained leadership in the area over time.

Coming into the PAR program at the commitment level allows companies the opportunity to develop the best possible strategies and policies to access the Aboriginal marketplace.

"A lot of companies focus on the emloyment side and forget, or don't realize, that there are 20,000 Aboriginal businesses out there. So a key part of what they should be thinking is not just how many Aboriginal employees do I have, but how many Aboriginal contractors and suppliers am I outsourcing my goods and services to," said Soulodre.

Individual capacity development refers to the kinds of education and training initiatives a company would undertake to develop the capacity of individual Aboriginal people, who may or may not be current employees.

Soulodre cites the Xerox scholarship program, now in its tenth year, as an example.

"That is helping to make those kids who get those scholarships potentially better employees, even though they're not currently employed... Individual capacity development can mean programs like mentoring and access to training dollars for people who are employees, but it distinguishes itself from employment because a lot of the activities that might happen in that sector are, for example, for people who are not technically employees."

Soulodre said the community development quadrant is sometimes the most difficult area for some companies to work in.

"It's a lot more difficult than when you're a company operating in a remote area surrounded by reserves. Then you know who your community is. But when you're a company like Xerox, or others, you have to really sit down and say, 'who are they? How do I find them? How do I access them? How do I figure out what they would like for us to do as a company?"

PAR works on a points system and recognizes the work already being done by the companies that come into the program. The maximum PAR score is 400 points. CCAB provides a self-assessment workbook to determine the points already achieved. A company that scores up to 160 points can earn the bronze hallmark. A minimum of 280 points is required for silver and 320 points earns the gold PAR hallmark.

"One of the key ideas behind PAR is that it is a journey and a process," Soulodre said."It's not a one shot. It's not a quick hit. It's not easy answers. It's not 'Oh, get this logo on, and I'll be happy and I know I'll never have to actually do something about this.' PAR is about a systemic process that allows companies to meet their business goals, but in a strategic way."

Soulodre said "the Aboriginal community as a whole, I think, will want to work with companies that have made a genuine commitment and can show that they've actually made progress."