Indigenous Engagement Strategy

In reading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, time and again it is mentioned that in Canada there remains gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. As a part of the legacy of MacKay Contracting we would like to be remembered as playing a role in closing these gaps.

Who We Are

We are a family business operating since 1986. We deliver a wide range of services to a diverse group of customers in Canada and abroad. We constantly strive to achieve our goals of delivering results safely and productively, on time and budget. These projects typically involve large earthmoving components in the Transportation, Mining, and Energy sectors, we also build a variety of heavy civil construction projects. Due to the nature of our work, we employ heavy equipment operators, mechanics, engineers, estimators, project managers accountants, HR professionals, and IT personnel. Most of our projects involve changing the landscape somewhat, to perform this we also employ in-house Surveyors and QC Technicians as part of our Construction Services group. MacKay Contracting has a Vision Statement that reads "Building a world-class company, one community at a time." MacKay Contracting is laying out our strategy to engage in a meaningful way with Indigenous People. Our goal is to be a part of a brighter future for all.

Our Relationships with Indigenous Peoples

MacKay Contracting and our customers operate in areas that are within or adjacent to Indigenous territories or lands. It is time for us to formalize how we engage with Indigenous people. Engagement refers to all activities that may include, building awareness, consultation, direct employment opportunities, and in some cases partnerships and joint venture agreements. The foundation of our approach is recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous People and includes the recognition that every Band and Nation will have different needs and or levels of skill or prior involvement in the businesses with which we operate. Through consultation, we will seek to understand and reach solutions together, regarding training, employment, and procurement opportunities amongst others.

MacKay Contracting acknowledges and respects the rights of Indigenous People. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Calls to Action recommendation number 92 states, “We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources.

We are committed to answering this call.

The Details

• Accountability and Resourcing MacKay is a mid-sized contracting company and a family business, from the owner through the HR department, the General Manager, and all of our Project Managers, we are all accountable for these policies and strategies. We share a commitment to engage in the oversight and guidance of this Indigenous Strategy in our activities. On an annual basis, this strategy is to be reviewed and revised in the annual business strategy session.
• Policies and Standards Our Indigenous Engagement Strategy (Policy) is our commitment to respect the rights, cultures, interests, and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples. With input and guidance from local Indigenous People and communities, leading local groups with expertise in Indigenous affairs, guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, along with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we are committed to embarking on our journey of respectful engagement, dialog and relationship building with Indigenous Peoples.
• Negotiations / Agreements As with all negotiations and agreements, they ultimately form a framework of a relationship between parties that guide activities and behaviors, typically these agreements will include a financial component, but will also be focused on providing cooperation and clarity on topics including but not limited to training, business opportunities, risk reduction. MacKay Contracting is committed to negotiating in good faith with the goals being to increase trust, build mutual respect, and develop long-lasting relationships while improving communities. MacKay will often be working as a supplier to another party. We will adhere to the practice of engaging early with our Indigenous partners to understand what needs/services may be present in the area of operation.
• Sharing Economic Benefits In our agreements, we will strive to discover benefits for all parties, whether this is in the form of a partnership, or we arrive at an agreement to provide training, employment, or procurement of goods and services. It will be the goal to leave the area of operation with stronger ties to the local Indigenous Communities than when we arrived. Our goal is to support Indigenous People in building skills that will be transferable to other employers or to begin a new local business within the Nation. In British Columbia, the Province has introduced initiatives to ensure Indigenous Peoples share the benefits of mining and to support economic-oriented comprehensive reconciliation. MacKay Contracting is in full support of these agreements.