Phil Fontaine, Former Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Special Advisor to RBC and owner of Ishkonigan Inc., joined RBC for a discussion about the journey towards reconciliation, the economics of Indigenous growth and the vital role truth plays in moving forward together.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is recognized in Canada on September 30th to remember the Indigenous children who never returned home, the Survivors of Residential Schools and their families and communities.  Since 2021, when Canada first marked National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, RBC has been holding an event to acknowledge the truth of Canada’s past and reflect on how to advance reconciliation and economic inclusion with Indigenous peoples.

In 1990, Phil Fontaine shook the country when he spoke about his experiences in Residential Schools. This year, he addressed RBCers from coast to coast, sharing his thoughts on the positive progress he’s seen towards reconciliation and the actions that must be taken in order to achieve it.

RBC’s journey towards reconciliation

Fontaine joined RBC as a Special Advisor in 2009 to lend his counsel and partnership on business matters affecting Indigenous people. Over the last 15 years, RBC – and Canada – have been on a journey towards reconciliation. Fontaine reflected that the journey has been fascinating and noted some highlights.

“The first inflection point for me was the seminal document, “The Cost of Doing Nothing” by John McCallum, which challenged the entire country, not just the economic sector, to take a careful look at the unique relationship between the First Peoples and the country. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is really about uncovering together what has caused us the greatest challenges as a country.”

Reflecting upon his 15 years at RBC, he called attention to some of the meaningful progress that has been made. “Everywhere I look at RBC, I see Indigenous people having a very strong presence. I see Indigenous people leading the charge in terms of ensuring fundamental changes in how the bank interacts and relates with Indigenous people. The bank has been courageous, visionary and one institution that believes in fundamental change to make sure the country is a better place today, and will be as we move forward.”

The public face Indigenous people have at the bank is important in many ways. “This reassures our people that we mean business and that we’re prepared to put Indigenous people front and centre in trying to establish this new positive and revolutionary process – and it speaks volumes of RBC’s commitment to reconciliation.”

Listening circles uncover expectations from Indigenous leaders

In April, RBC’s Thought Leadership & Economics Team released “The Business of Reconciliation: Building the future while helping repair the past” based on Listening Circles that have taken place with community leaders across Canada. Fontaine has been instrumental in these roundtables and shared what he’s been hearing.

“A listening circle makes it possible for people outside the organization to speak with us, tell us their stories, share their experiences and advise us on how we can do better as an institution,” Fontaine said. “This was about receiving very clear and strong messages from people that we are doing business with, or are hoping to do business with, and about how they saw this relationship evolving. We were there to carefully listen, receive the messages and develop the relationship in a positive and productive way.”

What he heard was consistent and the expectations were clear. “Leaders expressed their commitment to establishing a good, productive, profitable, responsible relationship with the bank, and they are expecting the bank to be proactive, open and in some cases revolutionary in its approach to dealing with Indigenous people. That means supporting Indigenous people in effective change with support from the bank.”

Free, prior informed consent – a collective advantage

“Free, prior and informed consent is an essential ingredient in the relationship between financial institutions like RBC, the economic sector, and all of those organizations that wish to establish a presence in our communities,” said Fontaine when asked about how RBC can have an impact in the economic growth of Indigenous communities.

He explained that previously, businesses and other financial interests would simply move into Indigenous communities and proceed with their business with very little regard for the interests of the people. “In the old days, for example, a mining company would move into a territory where they had discovered significant reserve and they would bypass the leadership of First Nation communities’ territory. Our people would have to protest and very aggressively to remind Canada, the governments and the business sector that we had rights – and those rights included not just the land we were situated on, but on our traditional territory.”

When the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted, one of the central features was free, prior and informed consent. “What that means is that there’s a moral and social responsibility on the part of business interests to engage in meaningful discussions with our people before proceeding with development of any kind.”

As a result, business interests, economic interest and Indigenous people are entering a new phase. Fontaine explained that Indigenous attitudes have changed towards the business community – previously there was never talk about equity, partnerships or joint ventures. But today, that is the language spoken.

“We will never be able to achieve reconciliation unless the truth emerges”

Fontaine believes there is great focus on reconciliation, but it cannot be achieved unless the truth about Canada’s past is acknowledged.

“We always talk about Canada as composed of two founding nations – the French and the English. The First Nations peoples were absent from the table. If we are truly committed to reconciliation, we ought to take a step as a country to right the wrongs in terms of what we know and understand Canada to be, and how it came to be. We have to start teaching people the true story of Canada – otherwise we will forever be struggling with trying to establish reconciliation.”

He applauded the step RBC has taken to establish a dedicated Truth and Reconciliation Office, which is focused on cultivating the reconciliation framework and integrating it across all businesses and functions in the bank. “RBC has taken a very important step in creating this body central to the bank’s business. It’s saying to the rest of the country, ‘we recognize our responsibilities in making sure that the truth is spoken.’ It’s a really powerful message that RBC is sending out to the country.”

In honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Fontaine wants most for people to acknowledge the role and place of Indigenous people in this country. “We must continue to remind Canadians of who we are and what we represent so there is respect for our people. We are the First Peoples here. So, when we talk about reconciliation, we’re talking about our willingness to share ourselves with the rest of the country – and we hope that this will be accepted in the spirit that it’s offered.”

Reconciliation is about change, it’s about truth and it’s about traveling together toward a common objective. “We all recognize that it’s not going to be easy,” said Fontaine. “But it’s highly achievable if we work together.”

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