By Rajitha Sivakumaran
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T
he lack of both skilled and unskilled
labour is a concern across many Ca-
nadian industries, but few realize the
solution can be found right at home. Can-
ada has its own untapped labour source:
our flourishing, young Indigenous com-
munities. There is a real business case for
Indigenous inclusion in today's workforce
and the Aboriginal Human Resource Coun-
cil (AHRC) is working hard to bring that
message to Canadian corporations.
The history of exclusion is being replaced
with a new path of inclusion, which is
transforming the relationship between In-
digenous and non-Indigenous Canadians
and creating some of the most powerful
social, economic and community changes
since the formation of Canada in 1876. The
GDP of Indigenous people is $26 billion
today and expected to grow to $37 billion
over the next decade due to increased em-
ployment and partnerships.
About 145 years ago, Aboriginal children
were placed in residential schools that
were operated by the church and funded
by the government. For more than a cen-
tury, 150,000 children lived isolated from
family and culture, and suffered in un-
speakable ways. The last of these schools
were closed only in 1996 and there are
about 80,000 former students still living,
many of whom suffer unresolved trauma.
It is just one aspect of what Kelly Lendsay,
president of the AHRC, calls a painful his-
tory.
In response, the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission of Canada (TRC) was created
both to document the story behind residen-
tial schools and promote healing through
various calls for action. Of the 94 recom-
mendations it proposed, Lendsay and the
AHRC are focused on call to action No. 92,
which demonstrates how Canada's busi-
ness leaders can promote reconciliation.
The TRC is asking Canada’s corporate sec-
tor to adopt the United Nations Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and
this includes engaging Indigenous com-
munities before undertaking economic de-
velopment projects; equal access to jobs
and training opportunities for Aboriginal
people; and lastly, educate executives and
staff about the history of Indigenous peo-
ple in order to bridge the present knowl-
edge gap. Prime Minister Trudeau has
“We help employers build their competencies, expertise and design new
engagements and partnerships between mainstream companies and Indigenous
people, companies and communities.” Kelly Lendsay, President & CEO
OCTOBER 2016
H
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