As part of national Responsible Investment Week, the Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability at SFU Beedie School of Business and the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at UBC Sauder School of Business co-hosted an event on “Reconciliation: A New Relationship for Investors”.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy. This included specific reference to obtaining the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development projects. The Commission also recommended that businesses “ensure that Indigenous peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Indigenous communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.”

The panel discussed the role Canadian investors can play in supporting public companies as they address these recommendations and work to build new relationships with Indigenous communities in Canada.

The panel was moderated by Stephanie Bertels, Director of the Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability, and Christie Stephenson, the Executive Director of the Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics, and included panelists:

• Max Skudra, Director of Research and Government Relations, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
• Cynthia Callison, founding partner of Callison & Hanna law firm, which helps Indigenous communities negotiate innovative agreements
• Peter Chapman, Executive director of SHARE (the Shareholder Association for Research and Education), which recently released a report on business and reconciliation
• Heather Lawrence, Global Manager of Indigenous Affairs, Teck Resources