The Atlantic Electricity  Cooperation Initiative 

In 1725 the British entered a treaty that would become the beginning of a covenant chain of treaties, which would lay the groundwork for how both Nations would interact with each other through trade and defence. This treaty and the ones to follow in 1761 established key principles in what the British would agree in return for the allegiance of the Mi’kmaq in the British conflict with the French.

This was the first real example of a collaboration between an indigenous nation and a crown in Canada. Had the British crown kept their promise to fulfil the terms of the treaties one could expect that the indigenous nations in Atlanta Canada today would not have been as economically, politically and socially repressed as they eventually became.

Happily, the story never ended there. With the indigenous nations in Atlanta Canada realizing that they had to work together to overcome centuries of economic and political oppression, coupled with an education system that barely provided the minimum standard, they collaborated and found a way to challenge the Canadian government to eventually recognize these initial agreements and begin to reverse the devastation that occurred as a result of not recognizing the treaties.

Beginning in 1985 with the Supreme Court decision Recognizing Mi’kmaq Hunting rights and following that in 1999, the landmark decision recognizing indigenous fishing rights, created an environment of indigenous collaboration, never seen before. Even before 1985 the Nations in Atlantic Canada began to organize and create social, economic and political associations that today dominate the indigenous political landscape. The indigenous Nations realized their combined strength and purpose would be an insurmountable force for the federal government to overcome.

Since 1985 there have been several very powerful and important indigenous political and socioeconomic entities that created a collaborative ecosystem that the indigenous communities in Atlantic Canada command and utilize with impact.

The Atlantic Policy Congress, which is an Atlantic wide indigenous policy think tank has been instrumental in affecting change within the indigenous fisheries, forestry mining and other resource-based industries. Today these industries take the indigenous issue extremely seriously when they are planning development.

The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs and the KMKNO has been at the forefront of major economic shifts in renewable energy to where today the 13 Nations in Nova Scotia,have become major participants and wind and solar sectors in NS.

The Wolastoquey in NB have made significant inroads in both renewable energy and nuclear energy through their network of New Brunswick based indigenous communities and agencies they have created. They have become very astute at developing long-term strategies and developing key alliances with industry and government.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, we now see incredible change with the recognition of the Qalibu Nation and how well they collaborate with the Innu and Inuit as well as the Miawpukek Nation. In fact the Miawpukek are partners with a Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq consortium in the acquisition of Clearwater Fine Foods, which is one of the largest seafood processors in the country.