Advancing reconciliation with Canada’s Blue Economy

GCT Global Container Terminals actions increasing Indigenous-led research on waterfront projects and facilitating connections between maritime employers and Indigenous communities.

Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy is an opportunity to meaningfully advance reconciliation and provide Indigenous communities with leadership roles in projects where trade meets tidewater, says one of Canada’s leading container terminal operators.

“This also means advancing opportunities to strengthen Indigenous blue economy participation,” said a spokesperson for GCT Global Container Terminals (GCT) Marko Dekovic, which operates four terminals at two principal North American ports, including two in the Port of Vancouver – GCT Deltaport and GCT Vanterm.

The company recognizes that traditional Indigenous knowledge will help marine operators with guidance on land use planning and environmental permitting related to projects and operations in the maritime sector. “A priority should be including local and Indigenous traditional knowledge to identify environmental constraints, issues, and increased understanding of effective mitigations,” the company said in its submission to the government as part of Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy Consultation process.

“We see the way forward as a real opportunity to redefine our gateway to be inclusive, prosperous, and green – reflective of our values and commitment to UNDRIP, economic reconciliation and Call to Action #92 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As a Vancouver-based company and a majority Canadian owned company, we are committed to finding the right path forward,” said Dekovic.

To that end, GCT has enacted its first Indigenous Relations Policy and is activating it throughout the company as part of its ongoing education and effort toward reconciliation. Through this policy, GCT is committed to good faith engagement with Indigenous communities and recognition of their inherent rights. Additionally, GCT will prioritize ongoing education and make every effort to support sound environmental stewardship inspired by the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples.

GCT is also calling on Ottawa and all businesses operating on the West Coast of BC to continue supporting increased Indigenous-led research on cumulative effects in port projects and facilitate connections between maritime employers and First Nations.

“Indigenous knowledge should be appropriately resourced to be on equal footing with western-based science in order to advance reconciliation and the future prosperity of the region,” the company said.

GCT is already a leader in this aspect by establishing a $200,000 seed fund to support Indigenous-led initiatives aimed at collaboration and increasing participation in the cumulative effects assessment of waterfront projects.

Among the beneficiaries of this fund is the Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association (SSIGA), which aims to develop a clear cumulative database to be referenced when reviewing proposed projects involving its member First Nations.

The association aims to overlay an Indigenous perspective and traditional knowledge for the centralized database, which can be factored into regulator decisions and development conditions impacting the Salish Sea.

“Our objective is to support Indigenous communities with meaningful participation in government policies and processes, such as bridging the gaps that hinder informed decision making in environmental assessments,” explains Marian Ngo, Executive Director of SSIGA. The database will “integrate holistic Indigenous perspectives with western science so that the data is fulsome and transparent, and measurements are tangible,” she adds.

The seed fund from GCT was in response to calls to action at the very first “The Declaration – Our Path Forward” conference in January 2020.  Now GCT is returning for the third year as the patron sponsor for the Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase, which will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 26 and 27, 2022, at Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Downtown Vancouver.

Along with GCT, the event’s partners include the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, Alberta Indigenous Opportunity Corporation and Nation2Nation Forums.

“The Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase is an opportunity to hear from national leaders and industry experts in partnership, with a common purpose, to achieve economic reconciliation with First Nations,” GCT said, adding, “we want to be active participants and contributors to reconciliation.”

Stewart Muir, executive director of Resource Works, who founded IPSS in 2020, said that as Canadians become increasingly aware of the urgency of reconciliation, a generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs and leaders are looking for real action on economic reconciliation.

“AT IPSS, we showcase stories that reflect this growing national movement towards collaboration, hope and economic renewal with First Nations,” he said.

“The GCT story is one of leadership by example, of listening to what is needed to increase participation in the blue economy and project development for First Nations,” added Muir.

Ottawa recently released a ‘What we Heard” report on public consultations to develop Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy. The consultations involved more than 1,614 participants, of which 223 identified as Indigenous peoples. It also received more than 125 written submissions.

“There is widespread support for our blue economy strategy to be used to increase and diversify ocean-related economic opportunities for Indigenous communities that are aligned with their values, priorities and aspirations. We also heard numerous times that the strategy is an opportunity to advance reconciliation by recognizing the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples,” the report said.

To increase Indigenous participation in the blue economy overall, it was recommended that the Federal Government:

• Respect and recognize Indigenous rights holders and their unique role in the blue economy;

• Ensure a greater Indigenous role in environmental monitoring, governance and the management of resources, including through the Indigenous Guardian Program;

• Invest in infrastructure in Indigenous communities;

• Find opportunities to bring together Indigenous and western knowledge and approaches;

• Enable partnerships and collaborations, including through procurement opportunities

• Support more accessible training, skills development and other capacity-building activities, and;

• Focus on recruitment and retention by ensuring skills development supports meaningful career development.

Find out more about the Indigenous Partnership Success Showcase, coming May 26 and 27, 2022, in Vancouver and online at www.Indigenoussucess.ca.