Calvin Helin delivers keynote address to  Resources Forum – photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. –The overarching theme at the Natural Resource Forum in Prince George has been one of the need to engage in meaningful consultation with First Nations.

Calvin Helin, President of Eagle Spirit Energy Holdings Ltd, delivered the keynote address today, saying too often “Instead of being regarded as an important partner, as a foreign  country would be treated, First Nations in Canada are  treated as a nuisance that has be dealt with.”

He told  the  delegates another problem is that too often corporations  approach First Nations with a pre determined  plan,  and expect First Nations to give it a rubber stamp.  “Consultation is not  a cheque in the mail, or advertising on radio and television” says Helin.  Instead, he says  businesses would do themselves a service by  approaching all First Nations impacted by a proposal,  presenting the proposal,  asking for input  and  making  First Nations a valued partner.

Halin says  there is evidence  of Aboriginal peoples  having been in North America for more than ten thousand years, and  it is difficult for   other Canadians,  who  have only been here for a few hundred  years, to understand that connection Aboriginals have to the land “You have to  invest the time to find out the lay of the land,  Aboriginal people know the lay of the land.”

First Nations have the largest population growth in the country, and it comes at a time when 1/3 of Canadians are  moving toward retirement.  That means there is a huge labour pool  that can be tapped at a time  when  the  labour force needs are  growing.

"Real partnerships are where First Nations have something at stake in the development" says Helin who says First Nations are looking  for opportunities to grow with their partners.

While it was Premier Christy Clark who said it was time to “bring them (First Nations) inside the tent.” Halin says that was a paraphrase of a comment once made by former US President  Lyndon Johnson who said he would rather have his  detractors “inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in.”

For Halin, the  scenario  he  impressed  on the  delegates to the forum  is this “There is only one canoe and we are all in it.  When the tide rises, we should all rise together.”