Business Relationships for the Future

Business Relationships for the Future, what does this exactly mean. There have been so many types of Business Relationships with First Nations Communities and Individuals, but in many ways the language has always been defined as lease arrangements or small fixed percentages. Don't get us wrong, in some situations and only a few, the business relationships are being defined to exercise our rights and entitlements, but not to their fullest measures or outcomes. We have always asked who makes the real money, and who truly benefits from all the parameters and outcomes of the business relationship. Just look at the six hundred plus First Nations communities across Canada, this should tell us who is and who is not benefiting. Some parameters of our economic model are being exercised in different parts of the country, but again not to its fullest parameters or outcomes. Can you imagine developing a defined business relationships with a major corporations, and sheltering that relationship with our defined rights and entitlements, with the clear understanding that relationship is to truly benefit both parties in that relationship, and both parties share in the real money, and parameters and outcomes. You would be very surprised on how many corporations are willing to not just explore this purposed relationship, but jump into the process to give them and the relationship a competitive edge over the competition. The outcomes out way the risks, if it is truly defined in a process where all parties involved will agree with initiatives. The clear aspect of this entire process is the environment and how it relates to the business relationship, again when it comes to business who would be the best environmentalist to do business with, First Nations people. First Nations people want and need to make real money, to be self-sufficient and not dependent on government finances and policies. But when the real money is being made, First Nations will always keep the parameters of the business relationship in tune with the environmental outcomes. To be honest, some First Nations communities are ready to make real money, but there are some who are not ready at all. Why?, money will only ruin them more, because the parameters of it are not understood, time will hopefully heal this process. Its time to make real money, time to create defined business relationships to shelter money and make money. Lets use each other to benefit each other, to create an economic base to define business relationships for the future.

Business and Money

Business and Money, we need money to do business, or we need to do business to make money. In some First Nations communities this is foreign language, why, because more then 95% of the First Nations communities in British Columbia rely on Government subsides and assistance. Some would say this is earned, the government owes First Nations for the use of Crown lands cross Canada. Crown Lands that is a whole another blog post, especially the money that is generated from those lands and put into a government account called Lands, Revenue and Trust. More then $40 to $80 billion dollars was generated from Crown Lands in the last 40 years, and this might even be low balling the amount over the last 40 years. More then half of that amount was suppose to go to First Nations communities across Canada, to cover things like Day to Day Band administrations, Health Care and Medical, Education, Housing, Social and Cultural well being, etc. First, monies for First Nations people went to the Department of Indian Affairs, to be set up in a process for distribution to communities across Canada. This process probably ate up half of the monies generated from the Crown Lands, this process would be defined as a bureaucratic process as defined around the Indian Act. Example: even if $60 billion dollars was generated from Crown Lands over the last 40 years, half of that went to the bureaucratic process, then that left about $30 billion over the last 40 years to be distributed and not equally to over 500 First Nations communities, we will let you do the math. It sounds like a lot, but historical evidence will show it was not, the poverty conditions, lack of proper housing, a Residential School and Education process that speaks for itself. Again, lot of this process was defined around the Indian Act, this is what defined the legal processes of First Nations lives. We can go on and on about the wrongs that were committed over the last 40 years, but an eye for an eye will make us all blind. First Nations people have the potential and viable options to create an Economic environment to be self-sufficient, and to be a major contributor to the floundering economy of Canada and the World, they have had this potential and viable options all the time. But the lack of understanding and education of the process, the fear and risk from both sides of the table to overcome the barriers the last 40 years. The Indian Act used and abused First Nations people since its incorporation, but it can be used and abused to make a present environment a viable one, its legal and defined, governments and courts use its parameters, it is so full of a lot of gray areas. A lot of money has been made off the backs of First Nations people over the years, its time for First Nations to share in that real money, not lease or fixed percentages arrangements, time to make real money.

Point of Clarification

Point of Clarification concerning the Delgamuukw court case of 1997, emails came in saying the Supreme Court of Canada did not hear and come to a decision concerning Delgamuukw. If we want to be factual, yes that was the clear understanding, the court decided or encouraged the parties to reach a negotiated rather then a litigated settlement. Lets be factual, the Supreme Court made their decision, but didn't have the fortitude to define the outcomes, as our previous post states concerning the Delgamuukw decision, there are holes in the process, and that is why it could be interpreted many different ways, but to First Nations people it is success without success, its a good start. In other words, its a good framework to a building process, the politically correct word now, "Consultation", it needs to take place. We recently received a email from a women in Arkansas, were she stated what we are trying to purpose is racist and unfair to Non-Indian people. This is a very good question, is she correct or is she not, are we being one-sided, or are we educating.  These are all good questions, and please keep sending your emails. A few Chiefs have asked me why it feels like we are educating the Non-First Nations society about us, and our possible trade secrets. These are good questions as well, are we doing that, it this our purpose. Most forms of communication are healthy, we may or may not agree with the presentation of it, but communication does need to take place to draw an understanding. We feel it is time for us to really communicate with each other, not just dressing up so that we can be in the same room with one another, it is time for real communication, commitments, process and understanding. Allow us to be apart of a re-building future for all of us to benefit.

Dependency

Sometimes its hard to hear what is true and what is right in front of us, our first post of the blog asked the question, the "Indian Question" does it still exist. Well the Indian Act still exists in its defined form, yes the Indian Question still very much exists. Over years some of this process around the Indian Question has changed in language and appearance, it is more disguised as being politically correct, and to mitigate its racial tones. A Chief from British Columbia said to the youth at a youth conference one time, your all lazy just get a job. Was he wrong by saying this, maybe we don't agree with the presentation of it, but no technically he wasn't wrong. Our First Nations communities, like Non-First Nations society, become comfortable with language and process even if it is good or bad in the long run. Why change what is working, lets ride a wave as long as we can, until we have to change the language and appearance. We have had conversations and window dressing over the years from both sides of the table, but we have never truly address the true issue, that is dependency. We have talked rights and entitlement for over the last 40 years, and trying to define a process to create a economic and social base. We say to both sides of the table, if First Nations people are going to continue to live under the Indian Act, we should use the Indian Act to its fullest potential. Like history, it would take some time to get comfortable with it, but in the long run we would see the potential job creation and economy boosting outcomes. This will create self reliance and eventually void dependency for First Nations communities, and boost a deficit driven economy for Non-First Nations society. With the Olympics over now, we all had something in common, we were all proud Canadians, but still to degree we cant live together, isn't this tiresome being united only at certain times of history. Its time to have a real conversation with each other, its time to really help one another, its really time to truly call Canada all our home and native land.