Council on Canada-U.S. Relations members Wes Hall, Arlene Dickinson and Tabatha Bull take part in a press conference during a Liberal Cabinet Retreat in Montebello, Que., on Jan. 21.Blair Gable/Reuters
Indigenous leaders need to be at the table for Canada’s strategies to deal with potential U.S. tariffs, says the only Indigenous member of the Prime Minister’s new council to advise on bilateral relations.
Tabatha Bull, the president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, said Indigenous entrepreneurs will be disproportionately affected if U.S. President Donald Trump moves forward with his threat of blanket 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods.
“We continue to talk about the resources that the U.S. needs, and those resources are in areas and territories that will have a direct impact on [Indigenous] nations …If we really want a Team Canada approach, those nations need to be represented,” she told The Globe and Mail.
The Prime Minister’s Council on Canada-U.S. Relations has met twice with him so far and once with the cabinet, Ms. Bull said on Friday.
“A Team Canada approach is going to require, particularly, those communities who are really impacted, and those communities who are on a border or have members that live in both countries.”
Ms. Bull said revenues generated from exports to the U.S. by Indigenous businesses range from 19 per cent for some to as high as 90 per cent for others.
As well, 2021 census data show Indigenous workers represent almost 7 per cent of the oil and gas workforce, close to 11 per cent of mining and 9 per cent in forestry. Those sectors are all expected to be hardest hit if Mr. Trump imposes tariffs, which he said could begin on Saturday.
Ms. Bull said that for Indigenous entrepreneurs who trade a significant amount across the U.S., it’s an opportunity for Ottawa to help them find alternative trading partners across Canada. She echoed the call of premiers and members of the business community for Canada to slash inter-provincial trade barriers.
Other Indigenous leaders have also called for Indigenous voices to be included in any talks aimed at countering Mr. Trump’s trade threat.
The Assembly of First Nations warned of potential conflict should provinces fail to include First Nations as meaningful partners and stakeholders in trade talks.
In Ontario, First Nations leaders in the contentious Ring of Fire mining belt say Ontario needs to step up its efforts to build meaningful relationships if it hopes to speed mining construction and production.
The Matawa First Nations chiefs in Northern Ontario criticized Premier Doug Ford’s strategy on the province’s proposed Fortress Am-Can. Mr. Ford, who is set to call an early election on Wednesday, is touting the strategic alliance between Canada and the U.S., saying it would allow the U.S. to reduce its reliance on China.
Developing the Ring of Fire is key to that strategy. But the chiefs in the area say it has been absent of any First Nations participation, input or engagement with impacted communities.
“We continue to hold the position that the province of Ontario’s authority to grant access to critical minerals in the Ring of Fire region within our traditional homelands is precarious,” a statement from the Matawa chiefs says.
In a summit last week in Vancouver, First Nation and provincial leaders in British Columbia came together in a united front.
“There are many First Nations that not only have an equity stake in forest industry, but also within mining,” said Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations last week.
“Whether we like it or not, across British Columbia and across Canada, a lot of the industry that we’re a part of is resource-based.”
B.C. Premier Eby told reporters that a new task force will advise the province on trade talks with the U.S., as they look to mitigate the potential damage of tariffs. The Premier promised to fast-track the development of new critical mineral mines and other natural resources projects.
In a province where few treaties are settled, decisions related to the land base won’t move quickly without the co-operation of resident First Nations.
“We’re co-ordinating at a provincial level with companies, with labour, with Indigenous leadership. So we’re responding as a province united against these tariffs,” Mr. Eby said last week.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, head of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, echoed the call for unity during perilous times and uncertainty with the new U.S. administration.
“The Trump government has already very boldly expressed their interest in acquiring our water, our minerals and control, and has threatened tariffs that would absolutely crush the economy,” he said last week.
“Now, more than ever, we need to come together in British Columbia. We need to unify. We need to go back to the beginning, where we helped each other out. It was based on economic dependence, our first relationship, and that needs to continue.”