By Terence Ho | Foundation of HKPLTW
Terence is a Research Coordinator for the Foundation of HKPLTW with interests in history & traditions, social organization & inter-group relations, culture & religion, and economics & politics of Canadian Indigenous People and Visible Minorities. Follow him on Twitter: @hkpltw
In this article series, our objective is to introduce the white paper “Adjustments of Canadian Immigration Policies – Chances, Preferential policies and Benefits for New Immigrants to live and work in First Nations Communities – Developments of First Nations Communities and land resources,” researching, discussing and analyzing further in the field of
Politics (Federal & Provincial Immigration Policies, Truth and Reconciliation with First Nations, First nations Treaty, etc.)
Laws (Immigration Acts and Regulations, First Nations Treaty process, Autonomous of First Nations Community Nominee for New Immigrants, etc.)
Economics (City Planning, Basic Infrastructure Facilities Supporting, Industrial Reconstructing, Preferential policies for New Immigrant Investors & professional and skilled workers, etc.)
My Point of View: Work Together
This article is the fourth part of the series. I will continue my discussion on creating an immigration policies that inputs foreign-trained immigrants in the economic development of First nation communities. Like I have said in previous articles, it is easier to say than do. It is only because of their race and ethnic origin that both First Nation suffer the adverse impacts,” mentioned in my previous article, adding that the discrimination perpetuates the “historical disadvantage and trauma suffered by both groups.” I hope that tangible achievement of a new immigration policy means that compensation for the systemic bias against both groups will end and cease discriminatory practices.
What are the Roadblocks?
As many people have heard, there are many roadblocks to the development in First Nation communities. For decades, their communities have been dispossessed of their traditional territories and forcefully moved to lands in worse locations or of inferior quality in order to make way for the growth of the European/ Canadian settlers. When reserves were created, they were generally located away from the best lands in terms of agriculture and trade as the settler population expanded.
As a result, many reserve lands have little natural resources and are located at great distance from major population centres. While representing 4.9% of the entire population, First Nation peoples hold around 626 000 km² or 6.3% of the total landmass of Canada. Most of it lies north of the 60th parallel, whilst in the southern provinces, which are home to approximately 95% of all Indigenous Peoples within Canada, only 37 000 km² are held by Indigenous groups, that is 0.5% of Canada’s land mass. In other words, their lands disproportionally have disadvantageous attributes, which include:
- Limited Commercial and Residential Use: The land allocation policy has largely allocated reserve lands away from high quality and urban lands as the population expanded. 80 % of First Nations reserves are below 500 hectares in size, which makes it harder to establish infrastructure, development projects and viable businesses.
- Limited Territorial Expansion Ability: The ability of band councils to expand their land base is reduced, albeit policies such as Additions to Reserve and Specific Claims negotiation process seek to expand these possibilities.
- Effects of nearby activities: Surrounding activities and development in close proximity to reserves can place pressure on reserve boundaries and/or cause environmental degradation on or around the reserve.
The data shown above show us that First Nation people disproportionately continue to have a small, fragmented land base, with limited commercial and residential use, limited natural resources, far from access centres and with limited ability to expand. The fair and prompt resolution of outstanding land claims would significantly address this problem. Also, instruments to expand the land base must be consistently adopted, which are right to pre-emption and facilitated land purchases, specific economic policy, and comprehensive claims policy.
Access to First Nation land is a condition for development, however conceptualized. Considering that they have the right to development, only they can determine if and how to use their traditional territories. They are the ones to establish how eventual uses collide or not with their worldviews, spiritual beliefs and cultural practices. Right to land can generate revenues and create economic opportunities, but it can also be used without any direct monetary benefit, for environmental conservation and cultural preservations. The First Nation people ought to reconcile these goals, depending on how they connect with land.
Resorting to a private property regime only promises to shift First Nation economic dependency from the colonists to politicians. This is a subtle way of completing the centuries-old goal of the colonizers – assimilation – now re-packaged as “economic opportunity.” This is not to say that an on-reserve private property regime could not be a useful tool in the hands of our First Nations. Reserves near urban centres, equipped with adequate training, education and infrastructure, sufficient land to meet the needs of their members, and reasonable employment rates, may find some advantage to being able to borrow against and even market portions of their lands. However, the same cannot be applied to remote communities. Lands in these territories will lack any significant market value. These are Canada’s most impoverished reserves, and aside from opportunistic resource companies, little outside interest in these lands exists.
To conclude this session, opportunities for development vary according to the land base and the defined land rights regime, as well as by location, proximity to service centres, population size, resource endowment and institutional capacity. A small land base implies lower levels of wealth and restricted ability to host firms, infrastructure projects and housing. Larger places are able to host more firms, which leads to a greater variety of business types and potential for competition among forms in the same type of business. However, as discussed above, First Nation lands tend to be small and fragmented. Reserve lands located in or close to cities have higher value and in such cases, even small reserves may be able to leverage these assets for community economic development.
Possible Solution?
A sufficient base of usable land is a condition for economic opportunities in First Nation communities. Historically, First Nation has been diminished in Canada due to systemic bias and alienation. However, there have been new ways to strengthen their lands. The starting conditions in reserves may not be conducive to development, for instance, when reserves are located in remote rural areas, with few business opportunities and low levels of human capital. Besides markets, supportive institutions are needed to amplify the gains from formalization. Traditional economic plans have been ineffective for First Nation development, so a new plan is needed.
Therefore, the most effective way to augment the First Nation land and economic development is through addition of new immigrants, especially the skilled immigrants. By doing so, it can add economic values and diversification and develop and attract the necessary skills to support business growth and shape economic opportunities while putting First Nation peoples in a position to derive benefits and influence the direction of development.
All levels of the Canadian government can consider the regulatory framework above because it can benefit both the First Nation communities and new immigrants. An improved regulatory framework of land use would generate investment incentives and attract talents. For skilled immigrants, such as engineers and medical professionals, would mean more clarity and certainty. For First Nation communities, it would facilitate forming partnerships to invest in infrastructure projects that cut across the reserve but extend to the surrounding territory. For governments, it brings forth a more cohesive view of the territory and welcomes First Nation groups into consultation procedures, fulfilling their duty to consult, as well as strengthens existing legislative tools.
How to Attract Newcomers?
On the side of the First Nation people, a community led strategic vision for social, economic and cultural development that is linked to medium- and longer-term goals and for how land should be used including the desired role of economic development. In other words, the economic development process is fully controlled in their hands.
To attract newcomers or skilled immigrants, I suggest that the First Nation regulatory bodies should make sure that barriers to employment are identified and removed. Here are a number of practices that they can considered:
- Take a flexible and individualized approach to assessing an applicant’s qualifications and skills; Consider all relevant work experience – regardless of where it was obtained; Frame job qualifications in terms of competencies and job-related knowledge and skills.
- Support initiatives designed to empower newcomers inside and outside of their organizations (for example, formal mentoring arrangements, internships, networking opportunities, other types of bridging programs, language training, etc.).
Conclusion: My Main Point
My advice bases on the main point, “Involve new, highly-skilled immigrants in the economic developments on First Nation lands.” Both groups are suffering in Canada — A place of opportunity. Things need to be fixed.
I strongly recommend making sure that barriers to development for First Nation communities and employment for highly-skilled newcomers are removed. There is a range of “tools and practices” that policymakers can implement to empower both First Nation people and highly-skilled newcomers. In the modern global economy, highly-skilled immigrants with foreign experiences and credentials can increase economic outcomes (like land use planning and leasing) and improve living conditions (like medical care and financial services). In return, there are opportunities to create jobs for newcomers and build the capacity of First Nation groups to utilize them.
Bibliography
Board, National Aboriginal Economic Development, and desLibris – Documents. Improving the Economic Success of Urban Additions to Reserves Achieving Benefits for First Nations and Local Governments – Stage II: Economic and Fiscal Benefits Generated in Urban ATRs. National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, Place of publication not identified, 2015.
Economists, Fiscal R., and desLibris – Documents. Improving the Economic Success of Urban Additions to Reserves – Stage 1: Identifying Success Factors in Urban First Nations. National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, Place of publication not identified, 2014.
Rowinski, John. Why Privatization of Reserve Lands Risks Aboriginal Ruin. vol. 28, Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA), 2010.
OECD. “The Importance of Land for Indigenous Economic Development.” Linking Indigenous Communities with Regional Development in Canada. OECD Publishing, Paris, 2020.
Larose, Gail, and George Tillman. Valorizing Immigrants’ Non-Canadian Work Experience. Canadian Council on Learning, Work and Learning Knowledge Centre, 2009.
Weiner, Nan, et al. Breaking Down Barriers to Labour Market Integration of Newcomers in Toronto. vol. 14, no. 10, Sept 2008;14, no. 10.;, Institute for Research on Public Policy, Montreal, Que, 2008.
This is an opinion article; the views expressed by me. Follow Me on Twitter: @hkpltw And @Terry_Terence97
Foundation of HKPLTW (Canada) 