June is National Indigenous History Month — a time for all Canadians to celebrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit history, diversity, culture and resiliency across the country. It serves as an opportunity to reflect on the significant and evolving role Indigenous Peoples have played in Canadian history and continue to play in the future of our country. At Trans Mountain, we celebrate and recognize the relationships we have with Indigenous communities and people along our pipeline and marine corridor.

Trans Mountain acknowledges and respects the Indigenous Peoples on whose Traditional Territory we operate and construct our expanded pipeline system. We recognize the unique histories, cultures and traditions of all the Indigenous groups within whose Territory Trans Mountain operates, and that their relationship to the land continues.

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples requires ongoing dialogue and collaboration among governments, industry, communities and individuals. Trans Mountain is playing its part by building respectful relationships and identifying economic opportunities to partner with communities that provide for shared prosperity. The Trans Mountain Expansion Project has provided a unique pathway for Indigenous Reconciliation, setting a new standard for Indigenous inclusion in major infrastructure projects in Canada. To date, Trans Mountain has awarded more than $5.7 billion in contracts with Indigenous businesses, which is 24 per cent of total contracts awarded to date, and has employed more than 3,390 Indigenous workers — almost 11 per cent of total hires across the Expansion Project.

Trans Mountain has established meaningful relationships and partnerships with Indigenous communities across the Project corridor — both land and marine – and we are committed to maintaining those relationships throughout our long-term operations. During the transition from Project to Operations, Trans Mountain will reaffirm its commitment to work with communities and honour the ongoing implementation of Mutual Benefit Agreements.

Further to Trans Mountain’s commitment to pursue Pathways to Reconciliation, we continue to build foundational pieces in our approach to Reconciliation that include:

• Creating Trans Mountain’s first Reconciliation Action Plan for publication by the end of 2023.
• Implementing an Indigenous worker retention plan, aiding in advancement of careers as workers transition from Expansion Project to Operations.

• Supplementing the launch of a mandatory company-wide Indigenous cultural awareness training module, The Journey from Competency to Cultural Safety, with supervisory training.
• Implementing the Land Acknowledgement Policy through the placement of plaques within Trans Mountain offices and facilities to formally recognize the unique relationship between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.

This year, we will release our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The development of this plan is in keeping with the 94 “Calls to Action” brought forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015. Specifically, recommendation #92 is focused on the corporate sector in Canada, encouraging business to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) 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. Trans Mountain is proud to develop its first Reconciliation Action Plan in an effort to build stronger relationships with Indigenous communities with whom it works and to set a positive example for the rest of the energy industry on what economic reconciliation can look like.

To learn more about National Indigenous History Month, visit the Government of Canada’s dedicated website.