Path Forward – Discussion With Chris Sankey
How can companies and Indigenous communities move deals forward? At IPSS 2023, Chris Sankey of Blackfish Enterprises, which specializes in Indigenous relations, stakeholder engagement and government affairs, offered advice gleaned from his years involved with negotiations.
Chris Sankey says he has noticed a vast difference between how business is done in Alberta and how it is done in BC. The Principal of Blackfish Enterprises, and former elected Councilor for the Lax Kw’Alaams Band on the north coast of BC, has been involved in many negotiations between communities and companies over the years.
“Indigenous communities in Alberta want to get business done tomorrow … They understand that time is of the essence and that money doesn't sleep.”
In contrast, “companies and communities [in BC] have got to wait 10, 15, 20 years to get something done.”
He believes that in the past the difference was partly the result of Alberta’s Indigenous communities being bound by treaties, whereas in BC, the focus has been on rights and title. In more recent years, he thinks it is more about differences in government policy. “There's a disconnect between government here and the Indigenous communities of British Columbia.”
He suggests that a key path forward for private sector companies working with indigenous communities is to have an Indigenous-led environmental assessment process. Yet, he also notes that Indigenous communities often lack capacity—though not the expertise—to lead such a process.
“The reality is our communities do not have the capacity, in terms of bodies that have the expertise to move these projects along. So, we need the private sector as a partnership with our stewardship departments. Because we do have the expertise, we just don't have the manpower.”
“Here's a really good example to put it in perspective. You have a CEO of, say, Suncor. How many executive assistants does he have? You have an elected chief of a community. Well, he's doing everything from organizing his flights or her flights, the hotels, all that stuff. It may seem frivolous, but it takes up a lot of your time.”
He also advocates that companies properly engage with Indigenous communities.
“Get to know our history, get to know who we are as a people. One of the things that Indigenous people don't like is when companies come in and they're looking for a signature or they think, ‘Well, I’ve got to get out right away, I’ve got to catch my flight.’
“As a former elected official, I didn't like that because they didn't get to know who we were … So, my advice to companies is, find out who we are and what is in our backyard before you start talking about all these other projects like gas and LNG and hydrogen. Get to know our culture.”
He adds that he often tells companies: “When you're in front of a community, always pay attention to the aunties in the back because they're the first to fundraise. Whether there's a death, a wedding, or a birth, they're the first to raise money out of nothing. But they're also the first to influence elections.”
Sankey also believes in the concept of strength in numbers—in other words, Indigenous communities can benefit greatly from working together.
“I've found it in so many of my trips in travels and business meetings, [that] there's one thing that isn't happening, which kind of dumbfounds me today, which should have happened right away in our history as Indigenous people. We called these logistics corridors grease trails. We bartered and traded as Indigenous people. We bartered and traded our fish. We got meat from the Interior. We did all of this long before we were called entrepreneurs. We were businesspeople before Canada came into action in the residential school and INAC [Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada].
“So how did we get away from what brought food and prosperity to our communities to relying on a government cheque? I'm not saying government is all bad. What I'm saying is that we were entrepreneurs long before the word was ever invented. So why don't we go back to what worked? We have the traditional knowledge, we do have the expertise, we do have the wherewithal.”
He suggests that Indigenous communities along economic corridors, for example, or among the provinces, find alignment among themselves to effectively negotiate with industry.
“We need to be aligned. That's how you de-risk these projects, if you have alignment … And in that process of alignment, you're going to have very uncomfortable, difficult conversations. But that's where all the answers lie.”
“At the end of the day, I just want our people to be a part of Canada and not apart from Canada.”
