Al MonacoAl Monaco is president and chief executive officer of Enbridge Inc.
The question is: Has business done enough and what else could we do to truly reconcile our past and move forward together with Indigenous people?We’ve seen first-hand that progress has been made. Most of the energy industry now recognizes the deep and unique connections Indigenous nations and people have to land and water. And we’ve learned that building strong, trusting relationships with Indigenous communities, over time, is a precondition to doing business. This is positive.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission reminds us that businesses have a big role to play. It also points out that business has an obligation to provide education and historical context about the challenges that Indigenous people have faced and continue to face. At Enbridge, we’ve expanded our Indigenous awareness training across our company to improve understanding of Indigenous history, traditions, rights, cultures and governance.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to action #92 also directs companies to redouble efforts to ensure Indigenous people have access to jobs, training and education while gaining long-term benefits from projects. To us, it is much more than that. It is important to build relationships with communities for the long haul – through the life cycle of projects – not just when we want to build a project.
globebusiness What, precisely, does it mean to 'move forward with Idigenous people?'