INDIGENOUS PARTNERSHIPS
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We offer this acknowledgment to honour Indigenous Peoples in the land now known as Canada, and to recognize our role in reconciliation. In doing so, we honour the importance of the First Peoples and we recognize the need to create a more fulsome awareness of how the Indigenous ways of knowing and being shapes the history of our nation.
We believe in purpose-driven acts of truth and reconciliation that honour the original stewards of the lands: the Treaty 6, 7, and 8 territories and the unceded territories in Alberta and British Columbia. We acknowledge the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit who have lived and cared for these lands for generations. We are grateful for the traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders who are still with us today, and those who have gone before us.
We make this acknowledgment as an act of reconciliation, expressed through gratitude, remembrance, and a humble commitment to learn, grow, and deepen our relationships and respect.
BY THE
NUMBERS
NUMBERS
*For the 2023 fiscal year
INDIGENOUS
PARTNERSHIPS
For nine years, we have operated our business alongside Indigenous partnerships. That’s 75% of our corporate life span spent intentionally and purposefully incorporating Indigenous engagement as a pillar of how we work. And, today, it is the same purposeful approach we apply to engage with Indigenous Nations as friends first and business partners second.
We have purposefully built six strong partnerships with Indigenous communities in the areas we serve. This enables us to offer our services through an Indigenous partnership in each of CDN’s branch locations. These partnerships demonstrate our efforts working with Indigenous communities and as an active participant in Indigenous economic reconciliation. While each partnership is unique, all focus on CDN’s four priority areas: relationship building, economic development, community investment, and employment opportunities.
Today, we are only 1 of 40 Canadian businesses to be verified by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business for our commitment to true Indigenous engagement. We currently hold their Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) Committed Phase Three certification.
ASENIWUCHE WINEWAK
NATION
ASENIWUCHE WINEWAK
NATION
The “Rocky Mountain People” ᐊᓯᓂᐊᐧᒋ ᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ of Aseniwuche Winewak Nation (AWN) are of mixed Indigenous descent, with the predominant groups being Cree, Iroquois, Sekani, Dene, Ojibwe, Assiniboine and Shuswap people. AWN was not included in Treaty 8 and is considered a non-status group by the Government of Canada. AWN resides in the present-day Grande Cache and Smoky River area. We signed a partnership agreement with the Nation in September 2020.
HALFWAY RIVER
FIRST NATION
HALFWAY RIVER
FIRST NATION
The Halfway River First Nation is a Treaty 8 First Nation located in Wonowon, BC. In 2015, we signed our first formal Indigenous partnership agreement, creating Halfway River CDN Controls Ltd., a majority-owned Indigenous business with Halfway River Group of Companies. This joint venture business reflects our commitment to collaborating with Indigenous communities across the four priority areas. Halfway River CDN Controls Ltd. has been recognized as an excellent example of economic reconciliation between industry and Indigenous peoples.
KELLY LAKE CREE NATION
KELLY LAKE CREE NATION
The “Rocky Mountain People” are descendants of the Cree and Beaver (Dunne-za) peoples. The traditional territory of Kelly Lake Cree Nation, officially known as the As’in’î’wa’chî Ni’yaw Nation, includes extensive areas in present day northeastern British Columbia and west-central Alberta. The As’in’î’wa’chî Ni’yaw people are one of the few groups in the Peace River region that were not included in the treaty process. We entered into a relationship agreement with the Nation in 2017.
KITSUMKALUM
FIRST NATION
KITSUMKALUM
FIRST NATION
An original tribe of the Tsimshian Nation, the Kitsumkalum are the People of the Robin, a galts’ap (community) of the Tsimshian Nation. Kitsumkalum’s traditional territory combines both coastal and inland areas in Northwestern British Columbia. Our Indigenous partnership with the Nation started in 2021.
PAUL FIRST NATION
PAUL FIRST NATION
The people of Paul First Nation are of mixed Cree and Nakoda (Stoney) origin and are descendants of the Assiniboine people. They settled in the Wabamun Lake area Northwest of present-day Edmonton, and are party to Treaty 6. Our partnership with the Nation began in 2022.
TSUUT’INA NATION
TSUUT’INA NATION
Formerly known as the Sarcee (Sarsi), the Tsuut’ina Nation prides itself to be connected to the Dene Nation through language (Athabaskan), culture, customs, and territory. They are party to Treaty 7. Tsuut’ina traditional territory is in southern Alberta with reserve lands bordering the southwestern city limits of present-day Calgary. In 2023, a formal relationship agreement with the Nation was signed – and is the first agreement held by CDN to be initiated by a Nation.