In our last column, we emphasized the significance of establishing a triangle of trust that includes companies, the government, and Indigenous communities, creating a shared vision of prosperity with all stakeholders and owners. But in a world of such low trust and high tension, how can we go about creating the necessary dialogue between the government, communities, and companies? What does this look like from a practical standpoint?
While this type of co-created shared value is relatively a new way of thinking for companies across the minerals value chain, there are some examples we can look to that can provide an approach. One is the Development Partner Institute’s (DPI) Responsible Sourcing Coalition (RESCO), launched in late 2019 in partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation. To date, this remains one of the few, if not the only, value chain, multi-stakeholder/owner dialogues that bring all voices to the table, particularly community and Indigenous (at both the provincial and country level) perspectives. This international coalition is focused on responsible sourcing and was a result of a special dialogue hosted at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center, where the group came together to discuss a vision for responsible sourcing, strengthen the understanding of each stakeholder’s challenges and priorities, learn from attempts to standardize sustainability efforts in other sectors, and align on a pathway for the minerals sector. This dialogue involved breaking down the different stakeholder motivations and expectations, including mining companies, Indigenous communities/owners, government, investors, downstream companies, and more. Representatives from each group shared perspectives. This ultimately resulted in a set of workstreams to develop a vision and set of principles for responsible sourcing that provide flexibility, allowing for the variations of each commodity and jurisdiction.
Key to the success of this approach was clearly defining roles for each stakeholder in the conversation and ensuring there was equal representation across those groups. Radical transparency is critical in these dialogues, and that can only be achieved by giving participants freedom and protection to express their views openly. Creating a safe environment for what can at times be difficult conversations is key, as is ensuring that one group is not dominating the conversation or bringing forth a prescriptive solution. Government can play a key role here in establishing the “sandbox” (environment) with the appropriate guardrails, so that discussions consider the unique aspects of each project and its jurisdiction but still adhere to a co-created set of principles.
While this is a good example of how to convene on a global level, there are several models we can look to build upon that are specific to Canada. The First Nations Major Projects Coalition is an active and important driver of these key dialogues in the Canadian territories and should be looked to as a model for how to bring different stakeholder groups together in a productive way while speaking truth to power. Not only do they advocate for ownership in major mining projects, but they bring a value-driven approach to bringing together stakeholders from the government and the private sector, advancing major projects around issues like clean fuels, responsible sourcing, and transportation corridors, among others.
International policy changes, like the adoption of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), are important. Equally important are national efforts and legal frameworks that provide stronger protections and greater autonomy for Indigenous communities over their resources, leveling the playing field for the key stakeholder group — owner — that has long been neglected. In Canada today, there are over 50,000 Indigenous-owned resource management companies, and the mining industry in Canada has become the largest private-sector industrial employer of Indigenous peoples and partner of Indigenous businesses, with over 500 active agreements between companies and communities.
Governance models that enable Indigenous communities to make decisions over resource management and incorporate their knowledge and perspective in policies are giving them an even stronger voice in these dialogues. Indigenous-led resource management boards, such as the Nisga’a Nation in B.C., is a great example.
These protections and policies are important elements to ensure that each stakeholder that comes to the table to align on a vision of prosperity is empowered and therefore can engage in open dialogue. At the heart of these efforts must be the core values of communication, coordination, and collaboration. As the demand for critical minerals becomes more urgent than ever before, it is key that the players that can affect progress and the necessary development trust one another and are aligned on a shared vision of success.
Peter Bryant is a managing director and board chair of Clareo and the co-founder and chair of the Development Partner Institute. Lana Eagle is an Indigenous relations strategist and a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. She is currently on the board of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC).
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