Community Agreement: What It Means to the Communities We Serve

The Barayamal Community Agreement

It’s a transparent commitment between First Nations businesses and the communities they serve, which provides a framework for accountability to our community.

This agreement is about establishing a set of goals that will guide businesses in their work with First Nations communities and how they will benefit and support them.

One of the commitments is to set a clear vision and outcomes.

We strive to work with all stakeholders in order to create sustainable development from a First Nations perspective.

As First Nations people, we live in an environment where we are constantly threatened by poverty, violence, and other forms of oppression. We are told that our culture is irrelevant or outdated and we should “just get over it”.

First Nations entrepreneurs are expected to operate in a way that reflects mainstream culture who forget that First Nations people have their own way of doing things which affects how people in different cultures run their businesses differently. These differences are not only significant, but they are also important for understanding the authentic values of each culture.

How can we build First Nations that will have the power to protect the environment and provide sustainable development!? This type of economic system will help us live in a society that is honouring “Mother Earth” (natural environment & biodiversity) and providing for each other.