The recent signing of a 50-year contract between cement giant Lafarge and Whitefish River First Nation provides an important case study for corporate engagement with First Nation communities in Canada.
While the eventual agreement stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of the two chief negotiators, former Lafarge terminal manager Fr. George Gardner and Whitefish River First Nation lands manager Esther Osche, the agreement and the processes leading up to its historic signing stands as a template that corporations seeking to develop resources in Indigenous territory would do well to emulate.
Of course, it would be challenging to find two more experienced and capable individuals than the pair who spearheaded the negotiations, but this agreement was in no way a cakewalk for either side. Historic misgivings over the partnership among some Whitefish River First Nation members once again raised their heads as the end of the former contract drew near.
Ms. Osche deserves immense credit for her years-long efforts in shuttling back and forth between parties, educating and providing key answers to both naysayers and the inquisitive alike. It is largely due to her efforts, and the immense stock of good will Fr. Gardner (an honourary Whitefish River First Nation chief and resident) has built up over the 50-plus years since the signing of the first memorandum of understanding between the two entities, that things came to a mutually satisfactory conclusion.
But Lafarge and its management team also deserve credit for opening their minds and processes to, what for them, would be completely alien concepts. Case in point, the insistence of Fr. Gardner and Ms. Osche that the protection of Dreamer’s Rock be written into the language of the contract. No offence, but global corporations are not legendary for their touchy-feely approach to all things spiritual.
They also serve those who quietly delve into the history books to provide the foundational research critical to helping corporate head office and its urban-based lawyers grasp the importance of Dreamer’s Rock to the Anishinaabe—a role for which Mary Scannell of Honora Bay deserves recognition.
We would be remiss in not recognizing the roles of Whitefish River chief and council, past and present, who have played a part in this historic expression of economic trust and partnership. Too often First Nation community leadership is painted as being obstructionist when all they are trying to do is ensure that proper benefits extracted from their territories accrue to their communities. Many non-Indigenous communities would be well advised to take a page out of that book.
Northern Ontario abounds in resources and economic opportunity that promise untold prosperity, and for too long Indigenous communities have been largely ignored when it comes to sharing in that prosperity. One only need look back to the instructions given to Indian Agents when the treaties were first signed to recognize the impact of government policies on the economic wellbeing. Those marching orders specifically instructed the agents to remove Indigenous tradespeople and communities from any land that might prove advantageous for incoming settler mercantile interests.
The times they are a changing—and that is for the better. Congratulations to Lafarge and Whitefish River First Nation for being in the forefront of those changes. May the next 50 years prove fruitful for both parties.
