Ten Years After the Calls to Action

What Comes Next for Business Reconciliation

It has been a decade since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its 94 Calls to Action. Across Canada we have seen progress in schools, in governments, and in communities. Yet when it comes to the corporate world, much of Reconciliation still feels like a “nice to have” instead of a core requirement.

Call to Action 92 speaks directly to the business community. It asks corporations to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for operations. It asks leaders to provide education, training, and employment opportunities. It calls for meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and ensuring free, prior, and informed consent.

These are powerful commitments. But here is the truth: they are voluntary. There is no law that requires a company to have a Reconciliation strategy. There is no licensing body that demands evidence of Indigenous partnerships. At best, it is a matter of corporate will. At worst, it is treated as philanthropy, public relations, or a passing trend.

Imagine if it were different. Imagine if Reconciliation was treated as essential as workplace safety or accessibility. Just as every employer must carry workers compensation coverage. Just as every business must ensure washrooms are accessible. What if every business license required a Reconciliation plan? That is the future we need.

Federal Opportunities for Change

The federal government has tools to make this real. Corporations that are federally incorporated could be required to file a Reconciliation plan alongside their annual reports. Publicly traded companies could report Indigenous engagement as part of their ESG disclosures.

Crown corporations and federally regulated industries such as banks, airlines, and telecoms could be directed to implement Indigenous engagement frameworks as a condition of their license. Access to federal contracts and infrastructure funding could be tied to clear Reconciliation criteria, just as contractors must meet safety standards.

When we require it, we normalize it. That is how accessibility became standard. That is how workplace safety became non-negotiable. Reconciliation deserves that same seriousness.

Provincial Pathways

Provinces oversee much of the regulatory framework that touches businesses every day. They could require a Reconciliation plan for business licensing. They could tie environmental and resource permits to evidence of Indigenous partnerships and consent. They could make Reconciliation strategy a requirement for access to workers compensation coverage or professional certification.

Think of construction companies, oil and gas operators, or forestry firms. They already demonstrate compliance with safety, insurance, and land use regulations. Why not Reconciliation? It would provide the same kind of clarity and consistency that investors, workers, and communities rely on.

Municipal Levers

Cities and towns have their own role to play. Municipal governments already control zoning, permits, and local contracts. They could require Indigenous engagement strategies as part of development approvals. They could condition eligibility for city contracts on Reconciliation benchmarks. They could tie occupancy permits or tax incentives to measurable progress.

When a new building or infrastructure project is approved, Indigenous voices should not come in after the design is done. They should be present at the very beginning. That is where trust is built, and that is where costly mistakes are avoided.

What We Measure, We Build

For Reconciliation to become real in business, we need measurable commitments. Some are already emerging. Canada’s five percent Indigenous procurement target aligns with the Indigenous share of the population. Equity ownership deals in pipelines, renewable energy, and infrastructure are showing how shared ownership creates stability and prosperity.

Yet we must go deeper. Corporate KPIs often measure profit. Indigenous KPIs must measure trust. Together they give us the full picture.

Corporate KPIs may include procurement targets, equity ownership, workforce recruitment and retention, and reduced litigation risk. Indigenous KPIs may include quality of relationships, integration of Indigenous knowledge in design, community benefits, youth engagement, and shared governance.

Profit drives growth. Trust sustains relationships. Together they create lasting prosperity. That is the essence of Two-Eyed Seeing applied to the business world.

The Path Forward

Ten years after the Calls to Action, we cannot continue to rely on voluntary measures. Reconciliation is too important to be left as an optional line in a corporate report. It must become a requirement, embedded into the laws and regulations that govern business.

This is not about punishment. It is about creating a level playing field where every company understands the standard and every community sees the benefit. It is about certainty, stability, and shared prosperity.

The next decade must be about embedding Reconciliation into the very fabric of how business is done in Canada. This is our opportunity to align policy with the original vision of our Ancestors: that treaties and agreements would create a shared future.

Reconciliation is smart economics. It is smart business. And it is the way of the future