Background
[This is an external posting of an internal policy. We post it publicly so that people know where we stand as an organization, and with the knowledge that we still have a lot to learn and that this policy is still incomplete. Last updated in November, 2021.]
Raw Signal Group is a business founded by settlers on land that has been the home of Indigenous people for 40,000 years. This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat, the Petun, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit River, and is part of the Dish With One Spoon wampum belt covenant. We recognize that we have a duty under this covenant to care for the land we share and its inhabitants, and that duty must be expressed in the actions we take.
We are incorporated under the laws of Canada, a settler nation, and we acknowledge the legacy of prejudice, trauma, and violence that has been – and continues to be – central to Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples.
There’s a temptation among settlers to view this legacy as historical context. We reject that as an organization. This is a present-day, and ongoing, crisis.
There’s a temptation among settlers to view themselves as neutral parties to this legacy. We reject that as an organization. We are actors in this as individuals and as a corporation, and we have an obligation to act in ways that support reconciliation, not the status quo.
TRC Call to Action #92
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 calls to action directed at different groups and at addressing a diverse array of issues. Raw Signal Group’s direct obligation relates to Call to Action #92, which reads:
92. 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. This would include, but not be limited to, the following:
Commit to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development projects.
Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.
Provide education for management and staff on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations. This will require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.
RSG’s Response to Call to Action #92.1
Raw Signal Group accepts this Call to Action.
We are not a business that regularly engages in economic development of the kind anticipated here - we don’t build pipelines or mines, power plants or condos. But we may have occasion to build new facilities, or launch new programs, or partner with people doing those things.
Whenever we are in a position to do work of this kind, we commit to consult with the First Nations whose land would be impacted. We commit to enter those discussions prior to any work starting. And we commit to abandon that work if we can’t reach a free and informed agreement with each affected nation. If concerns arise through the course of any such work, we commit to re-engage in respectful and meaningful consultation. And finally we commit not to involve settler police forces in the resolution of any dispute with a First Nation group that may arise from that work.
RSG’s Response to Call to Action #92.2
Raw Signal Group accepts this Call to Action.
As an employer, we commit to post any job postings we open up in Indigenous-focused job boards, and we commit to welcome those applicants. As a corporate buyer, we commit to a vendor policy that includes Indigenous-owned businesses as a preferred category of supplier.
As training providers, we commit to an inclusive space for First Nations participants. We further commit to build partnerships with organizations that support the professional development and education of Indigenous peoples. When appropriate, and in consultation with those organizations, Raw Signal should set aside scholarship or subsidized seats to ensure the accessibility of our programs to First Nations individuals seeking training.
RSG’s Response to Call to Action #92.3
Raw Signal Group accepts this Call to Action.
As a training company, we have a core belief about the transformative power of professional development in not only giving people new skills, but also new perspectives and self-awareness.
Specifically, RSG commits to fund the University of Alberta’s 12-week “Indigenous Canada” course (or an equivalent) for every RSG employee, and to require its successful completion (on paid time) within 18 months of starting at RSG. Where other training on human rights, anti-racism, or inter-cultural competency is available and appropriate to their role, RSG commits to supporting this training as well.
Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sep 30) is not a statutory holiday in Ontario. Nevertheless, on any year when this day falls during the work week, RSG commits not to schedule any external work that day, and to support our employees efforts to educate themselves, and engage with the reconciliation process.