The word “sustainable” has found its way into many discussions – both politicial and personal – during the first decade of the 21st Century. The word was used in the very first issue of Klahowya in 2004 and has been seen in these pages frequently over the years.

Sustainability discussion continues… in Ottawa

It is also a word that is said a lot at the many workshops that Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council holds, from those on governance and leadership to comprehensive community planning.

And increasingly, when one hears the S-word, it usually has another one in front of it; such as “environmental” or “economically” sustainable.

Now, T’Souke Nation is taking part in a national discussion that will help define the phrase “First Nations sustainability”. Its delegates traveled to Ottawa in late November to meet with representatives from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). Out of that should come policies and programs that will guide decision making at all levels of government in the coming years.

The discussion starts now

T’Sou-ke community planner Andrew Moore wrote to Klahowya recently and said:

“It would be great if you and your newspaper could start a discussion around First Nation sustainability. What is it? Why do we need it? How do we achieve it?

“This is exactly what we will be doing in Ottawa. This could be a catalyst to get a discussion going, so we can have a grassroots approach as well as a government department’s approach and hopefully they will meet.”

The following are excerpts from a discussion paper that T’Sou-ke prepared before the trip to Ottawa. It contains many of the points that were discussed with INAC officials.

First Nations as sustainable communities

First Nation communities are the only people who have lived for any substantial length of time on this North American continent in a sustainable way – many tribes for thousands of years. We are fortunate that the memory of how this was achieved is still within our aboriginal communities. If we acknowledge and act on this it will be to all our communities’ benefit, but it has to be soon as the knowledge and skills are dying with our elders.

In a very brief period, colonization has drastically disrupted the aboriginal lifestyle. A way of life which predominately relied on living in harmony with the land, sea and the elements, a sophisticated social structure and abundant resources, has been decimated… a valuable sustainable lifestyle has been almost destroyed.

Acknowledgement of the resilience and values of First Nation’s traditional heritage and culture once again could provide the answers to not just the challenges and opportunities facing First nation communities but to Canada’s sustainability challenges and opportunities as a whole. Over consumption, dwindling resources, fossil fuel scarcity, financial instability and climate change threaten the sustainability of us all.

Maybe it is time to give First Nations an opportunity to revive their heritage, culture and values and in so doing release the potential, that has been dormant for so long, to demonstrate how to lead the way to self sufficiency and sustainability once more.

Sustainable communities vision

The Ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has an annual budget of approximately $7 billion. This is a huge sum to maintain a responsibility for a people who have a history of being a proud, self sufficient and independent race.

INAC’s Vision and Mandate seeks to encourage the formation of sustainable communities and indicates a strong desire to transfer responsibilities to First Nations.

First Nations generally support this move in their own Vision Statements and Strategic Plans, but they also understand that this can only be achieved by a transfer of appropriate power, resources and access to building capacity in order to achieve long term self determination, self sufficiency and sustainability.

INAC Vision

Canada’s economic and social well-being benefits from strong, self-sufficient Aboriginal and northern people and communities.

Our vision is a future in which First Nations, Inuit, Métis and northern communities are healthy, safe, self-sufficient and prosperous - a Canada where people make their own decisions, manage their own affairs and make strong contributions to the country as a whole.

INAC Mandate

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) supports Aboriginal people (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) and Northerners in their efforts to:

• improve social well-being and economic prosperity;

• develop healthier, more sustainable communities; and

• participate more fully in Canada’s political, social and economic development - to the benefit of all Canadians.

T’Sou-ke Nation’s Vision

“Our vision is for a safe and healthy community. We see ourselves as self-governing, accountable stewards of our lands, developing a sustainable resilient community with economic development generating a respect and understanding for our people’s culture and heritage. United, educated in sobriety, to provide opportunities for all generations to come.”

There is clearly a good fit between INAC and T’Sou-ke’s visions and aspirations and this probably holds true across the country. However, there are many challenges for governments and First Nations in moving from centuries of forced dependencies to a future of independent sustainability.

If current treaty negotiations are any indication, (T’Sou-ke has been in negotiation through Te’Mexw Treaty Association with the provincial and federal government for the last 15 years with an anticipated further five years to go) then a new era of co-operation and collaboration is needed to make this transformation successful and speedy.

If this can be achieved then many new opportunities will arise that could lead to substantial social, economic, environmental and cultural restoration and rebirth amongst First Nations. This in turn would enable First Nations to take their rightful place in fully contributing their unique skills, knowledge and expertise to enrich the country as a whole.

How to achieve sustainability again

Many First Nations in Canada have already achieved high levels of self sufficiency and economic independence, Tsawwassen, West Bank and Osoyoos to name just a few in BC. Many more have started the process through valuable support from INAC and other agencies (e.g. BC Capacity Initiative).

It has been shown that transformation from various levels of government responsibility and dependency to independency requires a range of different approaches to address each individual nation’s unique needs, visions and strengths. Most First Nation challenges are not just economic but often represent deep seated physiological and social needs too. First Nations communities cannot be expected to become self sufficient overnight when basic infrastructure and quality of life problems, some of the worst in the country, have not been tackled; poor housing, food insecurity, poor health, addictions, toxic environments, poor water and now a host of climate change issue already very apparent in the North of Canada.

To build healthy and sustainable communities requires collective confidence, self esteem, education and resourcefulness throughout a First Nation.

Comprehensive Community Planning – which looks at values, visions, goals and objectives – is one resource that has already been shown to provide a useful structure to start the communication that leads to collective vision and decision making. There is already evidence to show that the process can be as valuable as the product.

New kind of SWOT

When SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) also becomes Speaking With Our Truth, this will often indicate that the community has embraced the spirit of the collective opportunity.

First Nations talk about achieving great progress where this healing, visioning and planning process has the commitment of the whole community and where collectively produced vision statements and strategic action plans set the guiding principles for the leadership. If all this very valuable work is to be transformed into projects and activities on the ground then a new set of implementation resources is needed.

The more successful the CCP program becomes the greater the expectations will be amongst First Nations for delivery of their vision through activities and projects that can bring about a sustainable future.

What does sustainability cost?

In strictly return-on-investment terms, funding a national program of First Nation sustainability makes a lot of sense if it leads to a even a portion of nations gaining financial independence. Is there a choice, how long the present arrangement can continue? A government ministry with a current budget of $7 billion and responsibility for over 600 First Nations and communities across Canada has an increasingly difficult task and responsibility in a world of instabilities: financial, energy, climate, wars etc.

The recent global financial depression and continued crises in parts of the world such as Europe demonstrate how little control we have of our own financial affairs. What would be the effect of cuts if they had to be implemented in Canada? A 19 per cent cut to the INAC budget would have a catastrophic effect on the lives of First Nation communities across Canada.

It is in the interest of all parties to work urgently towards First nation self determination, sufficiency and sustainability. The costs of not investing in a comprehensive First Nations sustainability program will be huge in terms of continued financial dependency and social, environmental and cultural hardship and instability.