Indigenous consultant praises Deloittes ‘Nation Building’ initiative

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Indigenous consultants from Deloitte and OneHoop say that a crucial step to reconciliation is fostering economic sovereignty in First Nations communities across the country.

Jolain Foster, who is a member of Gitxsan Nation and the Managing Partner of Nation Building with Deloitte Canada, has spent nearly 30 years working with Indigenous communities across Canada to create a path for economic empowerment.

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“I grew up in a small community, seeing resource development being done within our community and seeing poverty within our own nation members and trying to figure out why,” Foster said in an interview Wednesday.

“So, my whole life’s purpose has been trying to figure out why our First Nations and Indigenous people are the most under-represented in corporate Canada and government and businesses.”

On Wednesday, Deloitte Canada announced Nation Building, an Indigenous-led practice that aims to empower Indigenous people to create an equitable and prosperous economy. The initiative will support First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in developing solutions for pressing challenges such as self-governance, jurisdiction, economic development, natural resources, and housing and community infrastructure.

Thomas Benjoe, a partner at the Regina-based Indigenous business consulting firm OneHoop, said initiatives like Deloitte’s are important resources for First Nations across Canada.

“It’s another tool in the box, another resource that they can go to for any of the work that they’re looking to do within their community,” Benjoe said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s also important to ensure that there is capacity building that happens when these opportunities come up.”

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Nation Building is the journey the country is on to help Indigenous nations get closer to sovereignty, whether that’s through economic independence, self-governance or self-determination, Foster said.

“It’s really working with corporate Canada and federal and provincial governments to bring all the resources to the table, to maximize their use with nations leading the way to set priorities on how they want to do that.”

The three pillars of Nation Building are modernizing governance systems and building operations of excellence, working with corporate Canada, government and nations to better develop natural resources in a sustainable way, and to solve basic needs such as community infrastructure for housing, drinking water and broadband connectivity.

Benjoe said OneHoop is doing similar work to Deloitte in terms of helping nations restructure governance so they can have a strong foundation to establish their own corporations and get into a position where they are “investment ready.” The group also works with corporations and their understanding around Indigenous engagement and procurement.

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“There’s a number of different areas that we’re able to help the larger corporations and advise on some realistic expectations that they need to have when they’re creating some of the policies and processes,” Benjoe said.

“Sometimes the policies are well-intentioned, but in some cases they have created issues for Indigenous entrepreneurs and communities to actually participate within their supply chain.”

Benjoe said part of the work OneHoop does is to advise and transfer capacity to nations so that they become more proficient in their experience and business, supporting growth of their own membership in business and economics.

“It’s important to make sure that when we do this work that we’re bringing nations and Indigenous communities along with the experience that’s going to be built through those opportunities,” Benjoe said.

There are several economic benefits to communities being able to manage economic opportunities within their territory, he added.

“There’s reinvestment that goes back into the community … there’s opportunity to reinvest dollars back into young people so that it helps them see opportunities, future careers for themselves. Its helping to paint a more prosperous future for that community when they make economic sovereignty a major part of their vision and strategy for growth.”

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Foster said her history with Deloitte has helped lead her to this important moment.

She started her work with the company providing audit services and forensic audits to Indigenous communities. After a few years, she moved on to the public sector in resource development, working with First Nations-owned businesses and with First Nations directly.

“I always intended to bring those tools back to develop a nation building strategy with Deloitte,” she said.

AnAmato@Postmedia.com

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