Abstract
The Northern Review 47 (2018): 9–29This article analyzes the diff erent modes of resource revenue distribution and their impacts on Indigenous communities and sustainable development. After a literature review of the diff erent distribution models and their positive and negative impacts for communities, we assess each model’s level of sustainability. In the second section, we present the results of a survey and follow-up interviews conducted with twenty-one representatives of the forty-two Canadian First Nations that had signed an Impact and Benefit Agreement by 2016. In most surveyed communities, the trust funds are directly managed by the political authority thus providing no insulation from political influence. The survey also shows that some Indigenous communities are investing in programs that should be funded by the federal and provincial or territorial governments, which attests to the chronic lack of investment in Indigenous communities in Canada. Finally, whatever the choice of distribution mode, in order to foster sustainable development communities need to ensure that the lost natural capital—both non-renewable resources depletion and the environmental damage created by the operations—will be replaced for future generations.
Highlights
In Canada, Indigenous people are increasingly able to obtain a share of the revenue from resource development that takes place in their territory
Indigenous communities use a mix of distribution or investment strategies, which allows them to address urgent needs such as poverty relief, housing, and food security but allows them to keep some funds for medium- and long-term needs
The results provide an overview of challenges and outcomes of revenue distribution and investment for Indigenous communities
Summary
In Canada, Indigenous people are increasingly able to obtain a share of the revenue from resource development that takes place in their territory. The development of non-renewable resources in northern Canada has led many mining, oil extraction, and hydroelectric companies to negotiate resource revenue sharing agreements through Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBA) or similar agreements with Indigenous communities (Prno et al 2010). The negotiation of these agreements greatly reduces uncertainties over the legality and the legitimacy of a given project, considering the legal context surrounding resource development and Indigenous land rights in Canada (Papillon and Rodon 2017, Bradshaw and McElroy 2014). It may be used for community projects or invested in resource trust funds
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