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Truth and Economic Reconciliation

Our Commitment

At the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, we know that all of us have an important role to play in advancing Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92 calls on Canada’s corporate sector and business community to advance reconciliation, and we are humbly learning and expanding our work.

As an organization, we are embarking on a journey to learn the truth, support Indigenous entrepreneurs and professionals and act as a resource for our business community as they take on their own journeys. We are committed to using our voice to amplify Indigenous voices, celebrate achievements and progress and advocate for systemic change.


Truth and Reconciliation Pillar Partner

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome Keyera as our new Truth and Reconciliation Pillar Partner. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to building an inclusive economy by supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and professionals. Keyera will sponsor 25 Chamber memberships for Indigenous entrepreneurs, eliminating cost-related barriers and offering networking opportunities, advocacy support, business resources, and peer-to-peer connections. The Chamber shares our Truth and Economic Reconciliation Framework, developed with our Indigenous Advisory Circle, to guide our journey. This partnership advances the Chamber’s commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 92, which calls on the corporate sector to adopt reconciliation as part of their operations and core values.

Learn more

Resources

‘Truth’ is an important part of the truth and reconciliation journey – and is the most important place to start. To learn more about Canada’s history, visit the following resources:

Some of this content may be difficult or triggering. There are resources to support you.

The Indian Residential School Survivor 24-hour crises line: 1.866.925.4419.

We have several Chamber members and businesses in our network who provide consulting services to help your business take the next step:

Our Journey

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce has a long history. Dating back to 1891 and established at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, the Calgary Chamber was established just 14 years after the signing of Treaty 7, which secured the survival of First Nations in modern southern Alberta, but at a great cost. According to the Treaty's provisions, First Nations relinquished their traditional hunting territory in return for reserves and annual payments from the Crown, as well as the right to continue hunting and trapping in the ceded areas.

First Nations communities continued to endure a long history of systemic injustices including residential schools, land dispossession and cultural assimilation policies, which have led to profound intergenerational trauma. As the hub for commerce dating back to the late 1800s, we acknowledge that the Chamber may have contributed to the hardships of Indigenous peoples, despite not having records to fully understand our own history.

Fast-forward to 1979 when the Chamber established the Aboriginal Opportunities Committee in an effort to advance reconciliation in the business community. This was the longest running group of its kind in Canada, bringing together Indigenous community members with the broader Chamber membership to create systemic change. Through various changes at the Chamber, including related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this committee was disbanded.

In recent years, the Chamber has reignited its commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, vowing to bring a more consistent and intentional approach to our efforts. We formed a Staff Working Group with team members from all departments recognizing our work must be consistent and integrated into everything we do. We developed formal accountability for our economic reconciliation work under a member of our Executive Leadership Team to ensure consistency, intentionality and accountability at the highest levels of the organization.

The Chamber staff and Board have participated in various initiatives to learn about our history and understand the role we each play in advancing truth and reconciliation, including the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, encouraging staff to pursue the University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada course and sharing resources with our teams. We are committed to continuing to learn ensuring our efforts remain active and are never complacent.

In the past several years, the Chamber has hosted several events, including Forums on National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 and shared resources with our members ahead of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. We have reintroduced our Indigenous Entrepreneur Award as part of our Small Business Week Awards and hosted networking events with urban Indigenous professionals. We have also increased our focus on economic reconciliation in our policy work, advocating for systemic change that supports Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses access capital, participate in procurement and increase grid connectivity.

But we are still in the early days of our journey.

The Calgary Chamber is currently embarking on our work to develop a framework and key priorities for how we advance truth and reconciliation work, which is guided by our Indigenous Advisory Circle. We will have more to share in the coming months and welcome your thoughts and perspectives at policy@calgarychamber.com.

Explore some of our recent work in this area

Truth and Reconciliation Pillar Partner

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Connect with our membership team.