Times change and so must business

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The business landscape in Canada has changed, and while many companies began to see the writing on the wall two decades ago, others are just waking up to this new economic reality across the country.

"What used to work 50 years ago, 30 years ago, just doesn't work any more," said Jocelyne Soulodre, CEO and president of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB). "You can't as a company just wander into an area and start, whatever it is the company can do. You really need to talk to the communities that you are doing business in."

Cameco Corporation has almost 20 years experience in the kind of progressive Aboriginal relations the PAR program is meant to measure. Cameco is a mining and nuclear company with its major operations in northern Saskatchewan where it operates three uranium mines. Operations in Ontario refine and convert those products into fuel that is sold to nuclear reactors around the globe.

The reality today, said Jamie McIntyre, manager of human resources at Cameco, is that a lot of the lands and resources in the world today are coming under the control of local Indigenous populations.

"What Cameco [did] a long, long time ago, is we recognized the importance of positive community and Aboriginal relations to the long term security of our operations in the North, and we also recognized a long time ago that if Cameco became exceptionally good at this, in fact, the model for progressive Indigenous relations, that we could use that model anywhere we go in the world. In fact, we use that model in Australia, in central Asia."

In northern Saskatchewan, Cameco has 20 different Aboriginal communities represented in its workforce and employs more than 400 Aboriginal people.

"We have sophisticated public education programs, post-secondary education and training skills programs. We have a sophisticated donations and sponsorships program that basically focuses on Aboriginal issues and we have an impact management agreement with six First Nations of the far North which describes in a formal agreement the kind of relationship that we're going to have with these six Aboriginal communities. This is quite unique."

McIntrye said Cameco has for a number of years tried to build entrepreneurial capacity in the North and is doing business with many Aboriginal businesses to the tune of tens of millions of dollars a year.

Cameco has a registered commitment with CCAB's PAR program and is expected to qualify at a high level of achievement when its application is verified by the National Quality Institute, he said.

Sodexho Merriott Services out of Montreal is the largest food and hospitality service in North America. Camille Therrien is business development and Aboriginal relations director of Sodexho's remote site division, which works in areas where there is mining, forestry, construction or oil and gas activities.

"We started making partnership with Aboriginal people [20 years ago]," said Therrien. The company is currently partnered with the North Slave Metis Alliance in the Northwest Territories, providing services to BHP Diamonds, the Mistissini Cree Nation in Quebec, providing catering, housekeeping and janitorial services to the gold mine there, and has an agreement-in-principle developed with the Micmaw of Nova Scotia.

"We believe our partners bring something to the table. Large companies, right now, who develop important projects have to, have made a choice to have the people, the Aboriginal people, to be partners because they recognize that they are on their land, that they can contribute to the economic development. And those large companies are very sensitive to other companies that will supply them that have the same vision."

One of Sodexho's core philosophies is to contribute to the economic development of the countries in which it operates. And that philosophy extends to its work in provinces, territories and First People's communities.

"We hire the people where we work. It's not only because we're goo guys. It's because we're smart. We believe it costs us less, and we can train people and develop these people in our trade, if they like that.

"What we're doing right now is we're going further than trying to hire Aboriginal people. What we do is we try to promote them to management positions. . . One of my very strong beliefs is we will get to 100 per cent Aboriginal personnel on sites when we have Aboriginal managers."

Donna Cona, the first company to receive a silver PAR designation, is an Aboriginal-owned and operated information technology company based in Ottawa. Last year, company president John Bernard won a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for business and was named one of Canada's Top 40 business people under 40 years of age.

"I think Aboriginal companies are entering a different phase right now in terms of their business development. There's been a strong emphasis, and PAR was part of that, encouraging companies to partner, encouraging Aboriginal employment, encouraging Aboriginal training. This is all part of the PAR program. And even before the PAR program came out, we were a leader in this area and we're very proud of it," said manager of marketing and business development Anna Molley.

Donna Cona has put a very strong emphasis on hiring Aboriginal people, mentoring them with the company. The process starts with its work in schools, encouraging Aboriginal students to finish their high school studies and consider careers in information technology.

In that endeavor, Donna Cona has set up a $60,000 scholarship at Trent University for students pursuing an IT career.

Xerox Canada also went into the PAR program with a good Aboriginal relations plan, said spokesman Lee Ahenakew. There are about 30 individual activities, he said, that Xerox involves itself in this area, including an impressive scholarship program.

But now that it's gone through the PAR workbook and verification process, that plan is better than ever.

"I'm really confident that our Aborignal relations plan is very comprehensive and we are working with the Aboriginal community in every way that we feasibly can.

Ahenakew said Xerox's strong commitment to the Aboriginal community began in the early 90s. "Xerox is a company that likes to take action. I've never been anywhere that is [more] action oriented, so it's a company that when they say they are going to do it, they do it," Ahenakew said.

Part of the Inuit culture is understanding and being without even thinking, said Hilary Rebeiro, general manager of Piruqsaijit of Rankin Inlet.

"It's like driving your car home by the same route everyday. You may not think about it, but you get there, because our mindset is logged on that chart, that course of action."

He said many southern companies have to really think about Aboriginal relations, because it's not part of their mindset.

"They have to make a conscious effort and a special program to do the type of things that we do naturally."

Piruqsaijit is an administration company for several privately owned Inuit development corporations that began with the vision of a "forward thinking" Elder who thought that Inuit should be masters in their own land. Today, Piruqsaijit has grown for their 150 shareholders-"average, run-of-the-mill people," Rebeiro said-assets totaling about $80 million.

Piruqsaijit's main business is real estate, and began when a group of Inuit invested $200 to $250 each to purchase their first property. Now the company is branching out. They are even eyeing investments in the energy sector.

"Nunavut is, I think, the last underdeveloped frontier in all of North America. The resources that are proven below the surface of the earth are in the billions of dollars. They're proven, in terms of gold, in terms of diamonds, in terms of platinum, palladium, oil and gas. It's all there."

But it will take time, because what is more important to the Inuit than economic development is a respectful approach to unearthing the North's riches without foever damaging it.

As part of its overall development plan, Piruqsaijit seeks out partners and associates that share its goal of developing and growing the Inuit economy for Inuit.

"We want to hire Inuit first, and we make no bones about it because we want to see them grow and develop. We use Inuit firms as a first priority," said Rebeiro.

When there are no Inuit with the required training to do a job, Piruqsaijit will hire a person from the south with the understanding that that person will take on an Inuit as his understudy. It may cost more for both workers, said Rebeiro, but that's the commitment.

As for supporting community activities, Piruqsaijit again supports activities that share the company's vision.

"The growth of young people in the cadets, for example, which are 99 per cent Inuit in the cadets. They grow future leaders and they monitor their homework from school and they try to develop a well-rounded person. We contribute to that."