Aboriginal Co-operatives in Canada - Centre for the Study of Co ...

F O R E W O R DThe Nature of This StudyIntroductionIn considering the possibilities confronting Aboriginal people in Canada today, it is temptingto employ Charles Dickens’s well-used words, “the best of times, the worst of times.” Thepositive aspects are clear in the growing sense of identity and pride among many Aboriginalpeople; the effectiveness of leadership cadres at the national level and in Aboriginal communitiesall across Canada; the successful negotiations of land-claims agreements; and theincreasing numbers of highly trained young people.The problems are also clear: high unemployment and suicide rates, particularly among theyoung; widespread health issues; growing frustrations over protracted negotiations about landand other issues; low levels of education; and despair to be found amid an all-too-commonheritage of abuse.Given the paradox of “best and worst,” the future will depend largely upon the willingness andcapacity of Aboriginal people to grasp their own economic destiny. But what can that destinybe? What kinds of economic alternatives are there to be considered? Which kinds of economicstructures best meet their needs? What combinations of economic institutions can best assurethe sustainable economic development of their communities? How can they create health andsocial organizations that serve their own unique needs? How will this generation of Aboriginalleaders make wise decisions about the large land-claims settlements, decisions that will shapethe lives of generations as yet unborn?These kinds of decisions are remarkably challenging. Aboriginal peoples and particularly theirleaders are facing a wide range of fundamental issues as they seek to create their own future,economically, socially, and politically. They are making decisions that will affect Aboriginalpeoples for generations to come as they seek to make the best possible use of any treaty fundsthey receive; as they seek to create sustainable communities; as they search for ways to circulatefinancial resources as frequently as possible within their communities, rather than see itleaked away to businesses outside their communities; and as they encourage new forms ofentrepreneurial activities.It is important, therefore, that Aboriginal peoples have a full understanding of all the possible~ 11