Reflection and reconciliation: practical solutions to support a safer work environment for Indigenous women

On this Orange Shirt Day, we’re offering practical solutions to advance reconciliation and protect mothers, sisters, and daughters on our work sites, recognizing the critical role she plays in both families–work and home.

The release of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) report earlier this year examines the theme of reconciliation and calls Canadians to action with 231 recommendations notably termed “calls to justice”–five of which focus on extractive and development industries. The goal? To create a safer, equitable, and more inclusive environment for Indigenous women at our work sites.

We’ve taken the first step to marry the five calls to justice proposed to the extractive sector with potential actions to a support a safer, equitable, and more inclusive environment for Indigenous women and girls.

Call to justice: impact-benefit agreements, safety and security

Have impact-benefit agreements that include provisions that address the effects of projects on the safety and security of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, and ensure they equitably benefit from the projects (National Inquiry, Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 2019).

How can we do it?

• Identify opportunities for meaningful and targeted community investment.
• Identify opportunities for employing transportation policies and programs for workers and community members to reduce hitchhiking and ridesharing (e.g., shuttle buses to and from communities and remote project sites or accommodation camps).
• Installation of fiber optic cables and telephone networks at remote sites, along roads, and within communities to facilitate communication and enhance security measures.
• Implement safety lighting around sites and workforce accommodations.
• Review security policies and procedures around sites and workforce accommodations on an ongoing basis.
• Provide camp-life orientations to family members.
• Support or facilitate day care services for children of employees.
• Strengthen policies and procedures to promote anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, equal opportunity, and cultural awareness training.

Call to justice: equitable benefit

We must consider the safety and security of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, as well as their equitable benefit from development, at all stages of project planning, assessment, implementation, management, and monitoring (National Inquiry, Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 2019).

How can we do it?

• Attract, train, and retain Indigenous employees at all levels of our organization.
• Develop local participation plans for all Canadian projects that include employment, procurement, and training procedures for Indigenous people and businesses.
• Develop management procedures to reduce potential influx of job-seekers and businesses into remote communities (e.g., hiring at regional offices only, clear communication and information campaigns about hiring offices and procedures).
• Develop measures to monitor the safety and security of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people in project areas. This could include exploring partnerships with local government institutions or other organizations for data collection.
• Initiate business development funds for women: allocations of funds pertinent to women’s initiatives.
• Build long-term and mutually beneficial relationships with Indigenous Peoples and businesses, and foster engagement and participation.

Call to justice: socioeconomic impact assessments

Complete gender-based socioeconomic impact assessments on all proposed projects as part of the decision-making and ongoing monitoring of projects. Project proposals must include provisions and plans to mitigate risks and effects identified in the impact assessments prior to being approved (National Inquiry, Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 2019).

How can we do it?

• Include gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) in all impact assessments, reports, plans, and studies, including construction management plans, monitoring plans, etc.
• Implement socioeconomic monitoring measures to evaluate the safety and security of Indigenous women, girls, and members of the 2SLGBTQQIA community in project regions.

Call to justice: studies to better understand relationship between violence and projects

Beyond our scope, all levels of government are called to fund studies to better understand the relationship between resource extraction and other development projects, and violence against Indigenous women, girls, and the 2SLBGTQQIA community (National Inquiry, Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 2019).

How can we do it?

• Speak out against discrimination and violence, and teach or encourage others to do the same, wherever it occurs.
• Promote awareness and understanding of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, cultures, values, and histories (i.e., mandatory cultural awareness training upon induction).
• Conduct awareness campaigns related to violence prevention.
• Participate in government-led initiatives and roundtables to better understand the relationship between violence and projects.

Call to justice: increased demand of social infrastructure

Anticipate and recognize the increased demand on social infrastructure because of development projects and resource extraction, and for mitigation measures to be identified as part of the planning and approval process (National Inquiry, Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 2019).

How can we do it?

• Include GBA+ in all assessments, reports, plans, and studies.
• Provide programs and build partnerships that facilitate access to educational opportunities for Indigenous women in communities where you operate.
• Nurture community relationships to encourage more inclusive feedback during the consultation process–including ideas on mitigation measures to ensure a safe work environment for Indigenous women.

As industry leaders, we can take measures that support the calls to justice put forward by the MMIWG report. Actions to a support a safer, equitable, and more inclusive environment for Indigenous women, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA people in and around our project sites begins with a discussion and evolves with solutions–steps that will undoubtedly promote positive change.