C3 Principles

Recognition of traditional territories and areas of cultural or heritage interest	Recognition of traditional territories and areas of cultural or heritage interest The success of any project will be measured on the ability to effectively engage with local communities and Indigenous Peoples. The decision to consult requires a determination of which communities and Indigenous Peoples you must meet with. By doing so, you are recognizing the traditional territories and communities that will be influenced by your proposal.
Recognition that Indigenous Peoples have overlapping or shared territories	Recognition that Indigenous Peoples have overlapping or shared territories Many projects will face the situation that there are multiple Indigenous Peoples that have shared the land over time. There may be multiple communities that have interests and concerns related to the project or development.
Supporting the conclusion of fair, affordable and reasonable treaties	Supporting the conclusion of fair, affordable and reasonable treaties In many areas of the world treaties have not been settled – if treaties are not fair and Indigenous Peoples remain upset, business and Governments will not get the certainty they have been seeking.
Respecting the diversity of interests and cultures among Indigenous Peoples	Respecting the diversity of interests and cultures among Indigenous Peoples Of the 605 Bands in Canada, for example, there are 197 in British Columbia. BC has almost 33% of the Bands in Canada and they represent about 4% of the Canadian population. In many cases, they are as diverse in culture and heritage as Europeans are to Asians.
Respecting the internal affairs of Indigenous governments	Respecting the internal affairs of Indigenous governments Do not get involved in internal Band conflicts.
Sharing a common commitment to sustainability and respect for the land and its resources	Sharing a common commitment to sustainability and respect for the land and its resources Business and Governments are committed to this principle – if business is not looking carefully at sustainability they are destined for failure.
Recognizing that Indigenous Peoples have varying interests and objectives in relationships and cooperative ventures	Recognizing that Indigenous Peoples have varying interests and objectives in relationships and cooperative ventures There is no one single template for relationships – successful cooperative ventures take time, commitment, trust and respect.
Acknowledging there is a shortage of capital to involve Indigenous Peoples in cooperative ventures	Acknowledging there is a shortage of capital to involve Indigenous Peoples in cooperative ventures Generally Indigenous Peoples do not have access to capital; therefore, the position often taken by companies that they are prepared to share the project benefits if the Indigenous community makes a substantive capital investment is a flawed expectation.
Encouraging the enhancement of Indigenous Peoples’ capacity to develop training, employment and business opportunities in the resource sector	Encouraging the enhancement of Indigenous Peoples’ capacity to develop training, employment and business opportunities in the resource sector There are many, many funding opportunities available that should be jointly explored. C3 has numerous examples where business and Indigenous Peoples have worked in a cooperative manner to secure Government funding to support training and employment initiatives.
Supporting Indigenous Peoples’ aspirations in securing economic development	Supporting Indigenous Peoples’ aspirations in securing economic development Training and employment are often one of the areas of most interest in local communities.