Intercultural communication teamwork and leadership/Communicating across difference/Video signpost: Talks
View video – Walrus Talks: The new reality of Aboriginal business, J.P. Gladu President of Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB). November, 2015. [6:31 min.] Gladu notes the CCAB roots and mission to reintegrate Indigenous people into the Canadian economy. He next explains that the pingpong ball position for Indigenous people in Cdn political economy benefits no one, and creates business uncertainty for everyone. The new reality is more Indigenous Members of Parliament, MBAs and many thousands of companies showing a net profit.
Indigenous peoples also have the fastest growing young demographic. A recent TD Market Report estimates the average real GDP will exceed $30 billion by 2016, with $12 billion coming from Aboriginal businesses. Gladu states it’s important that policies reflect these new realities, for example in fair representation on corporate boards. He then describes the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program, which you learned about earlier in the sample real-world press release. Gladu notes progressive companies are participating because the program is creating market space in an ever growing competitive market, and everyone wins when the entire supply chain is pulling in the same direction. In closing, Gladu emphasizes the importance of understanding Indigenous relationship values. He also observes that Indigenous and other Canadians don’t differ greatly in core values for certainty, income, and healthy environments and many opportunities for our families over the long term. To achieve this, “we need a new history that reflects the new reality of Indigenous people as significant and positive contributors to a stronger Canada.”
View this CCAB webpage to gain a deeper understanding of the PAR program values.
