"Aboriginal peoples are increasingly being invited to participate in sustainable forest management processes as a means of including their knowledge, values, and concerns. However, it is justifiable to ask if this participation does lead to changes in forest management plans and to outcomes in management activities. We review four forest management plans over 10 years (1999–2009) in Labrador, Canada, to determine if increasing involvement by the Aboriginal Innu Nation has led to changes in plan content.
"Aboriginal peoples in Canada present a special case of citizen involvement in forest governance, with rights and status that go beyond those of other stakeholders and individuals. Increasingly, participation processes aimed specifically at Aboriginal representatives are being used to encourage their involvement in forest management. This article asks what would be the characteristics of a distinct process that could respond to Aboriginal rights, needs and expectations.
"The objective of the Think Tank on Wealth Creation was to examine how wealth is created and how the journey of economic prosperity could be reached in a free market economy on reserve. What conditions and barriers exist that prevent the creation of wealth and prosperity? Inversely, what conditions must exist to build a meaningful and sustainable economy, especially absent from the creation and reliance on characteristics of dependency.
"The article consists of three sections. The first section discusses definitions and contemporary significance of subsistence and indigenous economies. It questions the prevailing narrow, economistic analyses and interpretations of subsistence. Although economic development projects such as resource extraction may improve fiscal independence and strengthen the economic base of indigenous communities, they also present serious threats to indigenous economies. The second section examines the relationship between subsistence and wage labor, particularly from the perspective of women.
The tools, traditions and relationships that it takes to re-build First Nations, to realize good governance, were the three key elements discussed at the Aboriginal Financial Management Association of B.C.- INAC conference on Governance and Accountability, held in Vancouver, June 10-11, 2002.
"This study examines the historical development of corporate governance structures in First Nations communities in British Columbia, where development corporations are employed to assist privately-owned and community-owned entrepreneurial enterprises. First Nations entrepreneurial activity functions in an environment where business must market to a global economy while preserving traditional values, beliefs and other cultural elements. A brief history of First Nations and their enterprise development efforts is presented.
"The Institute for Research on Public Policy has launched a new research program on the quality of life of Aboriginal people in Canada. As the first step in this endeavour, this paper aims to take stock of the current state of knowledge of the broad issues related to the quality of life and well-being of Aboriginal people, of innovations that are ameliorating their living conditions and of the linkages between quality of life and governance in their communities.
"This article brings needed attention to the process of structural change in Aboriginal communities, which has been largely neglected in current policy and practice on economic development and good governance. New research strongly suggests that generalized trust (social capital), and a capacity to discuss rather than suppress conflict (social cohesion), are crucial to long-term success in economic development and self- government.
Center for Indigenous Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (CIEDE)
"What are the important factors that foster an environment for investment and entrepreneurship in Indigenous1 communities? Can these fostering factors, and those that hinder investment and entrepreneurship, be identified and generalized across communities and diverse cultures? If so, can the conditions that have been created within successful Canadian Indigenous communities, communities that foster the development and growth of entrepreneurial ventures, be recreated by other Indigenous nations?
Disclaimer: The following sample financial policy/procedural templates have been reviewed and certified by the Aboriginal Financial Officers of Canada (AFOA) as meeting Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Any resemblance to an existing First Nation community/organization’s financial code is entirely coincidental, or permission to share has been obtained and credited to the source First Nation community/organization.
