Mining can learn by looking through indigenous lens: grand chief Gull-Masty
- 22 December 2024
Mandy Gull-Masty’s short but powerful address at Resourcing Tomorrow 2024 included her declaration the mining industry could learn a great deal from what had transpired under one of the world’s longest-running provincial government partnerships with indigenous people in Quebec, Canada.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) between the provincial government and the Cree Nation.
Gull-Masty, the first woman Cree Nation grand chief of the Eeyou Istchee territory, emphasised the pact had seen numerous modifications over half a century but had ultimately enabled her people to be “participants in the industry while continuing to protect the Cree way of life and pursue our cultures and traditions”.
“In the province of Quebec we are one of the 11 nations and we are the only nation that has entered into a tri-party agreement with both Quebec and [the national government of] Canada,” she said.
“We have been a successful nation due to the collaboration efforts that we put forward with Quebec.
“We co-manage the permitting process side by side according to our treaty and it really allows for us to participate beyond the scope of consultation.
“I'm very proud of the innovation that the province of Quebec has put forward … Highlighting and working within the context of this relationship for 50 years really makes this province a pillar and an example of the potential that industry can have when working with indigenous peoples.”
That extended to the industry beyond Quebec, where the mining and metals sector employs some 50,000 people at 900 “facilities”.
Eeyou Istchee, or “the People’s Land”, is said to host about 200 active mines and quarries, and perhaps 80% of the lithium potential in Quebec.
Gull-Masty said it was also one of the territories with the “highest [geological] potential” in the province.
“As an indigenous nation we are highly involved in the process of resource extraction and the activities surrounding potential exploration,” she said.
“I would think that it’s very important for the mining industry and investors to be aware of the requirements to engage with every aspect of the chain and significantly, and most importantly, the downstream.
“The Cree Nation represents the very end of that chain.
“I know that we are seeing in Quebec a major shift for energy. This is bringing forward new development [and] new potential. We are also involved in various industries that touch mineral exploration.
“We know the industry is facing enormous change, but there's a lot of opportunity in that.
“I believe now is the time for investors to seek to understand what collaboration consists of.
“Collaboration can be defined as the act of working together to produce something. I think it's important that this definition … is really an action. For you to understand it you must engage and look through the indigenous lens.
“The indigenous lens defines collaboration as working together to better understand how you can mitigate long-lasting impacts. This is, for us, the Cree Nation, an important aspect of our involvement in mineral exploration.
“We want to ensure that once the scope of the project has concluded and the cycle of the mine life or project life has been reached that we're able to live with the impacts in the territory. This requires enhanced communication and collaboration from start to finish.
“We've made many efforts to ensure that sustainability is at the centre of our project development.
“We also want to ensure that we harmonise the requirements and promote value in this chain of collaboration. It is the best way to mitigate. It is the best way to prevent and remediate impact on local, indigenous nations.
“There are processes in which we participate. There's development opportunity for our communities. There's knowledge sharing from indigenous peoples who've had a relationship with trap lines and territories for upwards of a millennium.
“Ensuring that you engage early on with the indigenous community allows for protection of your investment.
“I'm going to say that again, because I think this is a concept that is not often well understood. Engaging early with the indigenous community allows for the protection of your investment.
“It removes barriers to communication. It removes barriers to uncertainty, and most importantly, it removes surprises in the project management chain.
“Many individuals think that social acceptability begins once the project is near permitting. I think it is the inverse.
“Social acceptability begins with the point of contact and communications. I've seen companies come into our communities right from the purchase of claim, begin asking questions such as, whose territories are these? How can I better understand your needs? What is your expectation in the rollout of this project? And how can we work with you to ensure that opportunity is provided to the community as well? These have been some of the most successful companies.
“Unfortunately, I’ve also seen companies come into the territory and fail to ensure that successful relationship building is part of the set-up process. They have encountered many barriers and as part of the permitting process have also had to answer numerous questions and have added time on their timeline.”
Gull-Masty said miners needed to adapt their practices to the political and legal contexts in which they operated.
“It is important that when you enter into these places that you invest the time and resources needed to educate and inform yourself about the indigenous peoples that live in that territory and to ensure that engagement starts from the very first step,” she said.
