Start by considering where your business activities intersect with the interests of Indigenous communities (eg physical location) and then reach out to those communities to learn more about what matters to them and consider what your business/organization might be able to contribute to the advancement of those interests. Seek to build mutually beneficial relationships.
Also find places where Indigenous communities are gathered for celebration, days of remembrance like marches, powwows, etc. While some events and gatherings are for Indigenous communities alone to preserve and practice cultural ceremonies, know that if you are able to find the information about an event then it is very likely open to the public and you are welcome to attend.
If you’re not sure, reach out to organizers to ask, and consider offering to help out as well. Volunteering to support Indigenous-led causes and events is one of the best ways to build meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities.

Meaningful consultation requires an authentic relationship, which often requires mutual trust, commitment, recognition and vulnerability. Build authentic relationships through succession and transition planning, and by allocating appropriate time and budget for pre-engagement and community presences “between decisions”. Demonstrate commitment by incentivizing the behaviour you want to see and prioritizing the relationship, even when that means project delays or cost pressures. Acknowledge when trust is lacking, and work to build it back up on both sides. Recognize Indigenous Nations as unique and distinct Nations by seeking to understand the diverse interests and priorities of each community. Ensure that decision-makers are involved in consultation and also have the opportunity to build relationships and learn from Indigenous leaders directly. Be vulnerably by not presuming to have all the answers before you start engaging. Listen more than you speak and be willing to say “I don’t know, but let’s figure it out together”.

Integrating reconciliation into corporate and non-profit policies and processes isn’t about having a standalone Indigenous relations department, though that is an enabling factor when you know what you want to do and are ready to implement. The most effective Reconciliation Action Plans are custom built and unique to the context, strategy, resources, and goals of an organization.

Consider which parts of your business/nonprofit activities could contribute to or involve Indigenous interests, people, and communities, then, once you have an idea, seek out trusted Indigenous voices and perspectives to provide honest feedback. If you aren’t ready to receive and take action on the feedback you get from Indigenous advisors, don’t ask for it.
Consider working with a trusted third party advisor who can convene Indigenous voices/perspectives/people to comment in a confidential and culturally safe way. But ensure that feeding back to Indigenous contributors about how their input was used is part of the process (or if input wasn’t used, why not). Focus on the policies and processes that span multiple parts of the organization, not just a single department or type of role or operation.

A good place to start would be ensuring access to cultural services (e.g., Elder guidance, participation in ceremony, traditional medicines as treatment, etc.) through employee benefits programs.

Other wise practices include:

• Ensuring that you have employee leave policies that reflect the unique family structure of Indigenous people and communities.

• Creating environments that support self-identification of Indigenous employees in positive and celebrated ways.

• Implementing inclusive recruitment and hiring practices, including a focus on building relationships in Indigenous communities to better understand and reflect the unique circumstances and interests of those potential employees.

• Develop procurement and strategic sourcing to proactively identify and build relationships with Indigenous suppliers, and ensure there are culturally aware supplier performance management practices in place.

• Seek to find ways to make it everyone’s responsibility to advance the company’s Indigenous reconciliation related goals and holding and create accountability structures (i.e. performance management) and ways of learning (e.g. ERGs, Indigenous Awareness training) to ensure that can happen.

Celebrate Indigenous employees and create opportunities for them to connect and learn with each other about Indigenous histories, experiences, and interests through employee resource groups. Recognize that just because an employee has Indigenous ancestry doesn’t mean that they can or should be expected to speak on behalf of Indigenous people or to represent an entire cultural identity. Colonization has significantly fractured many Indigenous organizations and communities and structures and many Indigenous folks are going through a process of ‘cultural remembering’ to learn what it means to them to be Indigenous. Employers should be patient with this process. Be gentle and have grace and create safe spaces for employees to go on this journey of cultural remembering with respect to their Indigeneity. Many leaders of Indigenous Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are working hard to cultivate inclusive workplaces, often off the sides of their desks. Forum Community Relations provides ERG facilitation and learning support to help lighten this burden with thoughtful approaches customized for your workplace. Please get in touch to learn more.