BC First Nations Reaching Out to China

Author(s): Heather Kincaide

Published: 26 Octobre 2011  

Op-Ed

This week Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is leading a delegation of First Nations Chiefs and business people from across Canada on a trade mission to China. These political and business leaders will meet with the upper management of Chinese companies and government departments to deliver their message: First Nations are open for business, but only to opportunities that respect their rights as First Nations and indigenous peoples.

This mission will include strong representation from British Columbia. In general, the First Nations political organizations in BC have been particularly active in undertaking activities to build relationships with Chinese businesses and government officials. In August 2011, for example, the First Nations Leadership Council launched the BC First Nations & China: Transforming Relationships strategy, which was approved by all 203 First Nations communities in British Columbia. This strategy envisions a long-term and ongoing engagement by BC First Nations in China, through annual trade missions and the instalment of First Nations trade and investment experts in Government of British Columbia trade offices in Vancouver and China.

In many ways, it is not surprising that First Nations political organizations in BC are establishing economic relationships with China. China is becoming increasingly important as an export market and source of investment to areas of the province’s economy in which First Nations have substantial business interests. This is particularly the case in the natural resource sector. For example, First Nations in BC currently hold 12 million cubic metres of timber. In May 2011, the value of BC wood exported to China exceeded the value exported to United States for the first time.

However, the impetus for the AFN mission and the BC First Nations & China strategy also stems from issues that have little to do with Chinese companies specifically and more to do with the ongoing disputes between the provincial and federal governments and First Nations regarding authority and jurisdiction over land. Many First Nations in BC and elsewhere in Canada lack definitive jurisdiction over their territories, thereby limiting their ability to administer and economically benefit from natural resource extraction projects. One of the objectives of the AFN trade mission is to inform potential Chinese investors in Canada’s natural resource sector about the rights of First Nations as set out in the Constitution of Canada and in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Many of the leaders on the AFN mission endorse Exploration Agreements and Impact and Benefit Agreements as means of acknowledging these First Nations rights and of ensuring that First Nations benefit from natural resource extraction activities in their territories. These agreements set out terms for employment quotas, joint venture opportunities and profit sharing, amongst other requirements.

First Nations, both in British Columbia and across Canada, are engaging with China in order to represent their own interests, not just in trade, but also in culture. One of the centrepieces of the AFN trade mission will be the raising of a totem pole gifted by the First Nations of Canada to the Qiang people, an ethnic minority group in Sichuan province whose village was destroyed in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Cultural activities will also play a substantial role during this trade mission and as part of the BC First Nations & China strategy in communicating First Nations’ approaches to economic relations and in promoting standards of consultation and accommodation. As Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, said in a recent interview about the strategy “The more the Chinese people know and understand our spiritual connection to the land and our cultural values, the more they will come to understand our concerns with respect to large scale resource development projects.”

While it is difficult to assess the long term significance of the AFN trade mission and the BC First Nations & China strategy, political developments suggest that the involvement of BC First Nations in international trade promotion will expand both in and beyond the natural resource sector. As a result of treaties and other agreements, some First Nations are acquiring jurisdiction over multiple sectors of the economy. Tsawwassen Nation, for example, now has the right to found and manage post-secondary education institutions as a result of its final agreement with the governments of British Columbia and Canada. Nations like Tsawwassen may seek to promote their educational and other assets internationally.

This increased involvement of First Nations, both in British Columbia and across Canada, in international trade promotion has the potential to substantially improve the economic conditions of First Nations. This outcome is good first and foremost for First Nations themselves, but also for Canada as a whole. This involvement may even have positive implications for Canada’s reputation abroad, where our position as a great defender of human rights is sometimes called into question by the living standards of Canada’s indigenous peoples.

Federal and provincial governments should continue to assist First Nations in their international trade promotion efforts by funding opportunities for First Nations to represent their own trade and investment interests abroad and by including First Nations leaders in provincial and federal government trade missions and other activities. At the same time, all parties will need to inform one another on a regular basis about their activities and messaging in China so that all groups feel respected.

A version of this piece was first published in the Embassy Magazine on October 26, 2011. 

Heather Kincaide is a post-graduate research fellow with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.  To read the full Canada-Asia Agenda on 'Seizing International Opportunities: British Columbia's First Nations Enhance Ties with China,' click here.