The Economic Benefits of a Major Canadian Forestry Contribution Program for Indigenous Peoples

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/jaed10

Keywords:

evaluation, forestry, economics, well-being, censuses

Abstract

This paper evaluates whether the First Nations Forestry Program (FNFP), a contribution program for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, had a statistically measurable effect on the well-being of participating reserves’ inhabitants. Funding data from 1,078 projects was paired with reserve inhabitant profiles from two Statistics Canada censuses. Multiple regression models were then used to test for the statistical significance of project-funding treatments. The results suggest that from 2006 to 2010, the FNFP significantly affected the after-tax incomes of reserve inhabitants who had worked in forestry, as well as a lesser effect on the after-tax incomes of reserve families.

Author Biographies

Dieter Kuhnke, Natural Resources Canada

Dieter Kuhnke is a forest economist and social science researcher with the Canadian Forest Service where he has worked in several operational and research roles of which some have led to publications in peer reviewed publications and journals. Dieter holds a M.F. degree from the University of Alberta majoring in sociology and economics.

Ian Cahill, Formerly Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada

Ian Cahill worked for 26 years as a policy researcher in the Canadian federal public service in several departments, including the Canadian Forest Service, retiring in 2017. He has an M.Sc. in mathematics and an M.A. in economics from the University of British Columbia.

References

Anderson, I., Robson, B., Connolly, M., Al-Yaman, F., Bjertness, E., King, A., Tynan, M., Madden, R., Bang, A., Coimbra, C.E.A., Jr., et al. (2016). Indigenous and tribal peoples’ health: A population study. Lancet, 388(10040), 131–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)00345-7

Armitage, D., C. Béné, Charles, A. T., Johnson, D., & Allison, E. H. (2012). The interplay of well-being and resilience in applying a social-ecological perspective. Ecology and Society, 17(4), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-04940-170415

Audit and Evaluation Branch. (2006). First Nations Forestry Program (FNFP)—Evaluation. Natural Resources Canada, AEB Project 05-012.

Bombay, H.M. (2010). Framework of Aboriginal capacity-building in the forest sector. National Aboriginal Forestry Association.

Booth, A.L. & Muir, B.R. (2013). “How far do you have to walk to find peace again?”: A case study of First Nations’ operational values for a community forest in northeast British Columbia, Canada. Natural Resources Forum, 37(3), 153-166. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12005

Booth, A. L. & Skelton, N. W. (2011). “There’s a conflict right there”: Integrating Indigenous

community values into commercial forestry in the Tl’azt’en First Nation. Society & Natural Resources, 24(4), 368-383. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920902755390

Borrows, J. (2021). Wise practices in Indigenous economic development and environmental protection. In R. Hamilton, J. Borrows, B. Mainprize, R. Beaton, & J.B.D. Nichols. (Eds.) Wise practices: Exploring Indigenous economic justice and self-determination (Chapter 9). University of Toronto Press.

Buffalo, D. (1997). Socio-economic indicators in Indian reserves and comparable communities, 1971-1991. Ministry of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Catalogue No. R32- 181/1991E.

Cahill, I. (2018). Indigenous access to skilled jobs in the Canadian forest industry: the role of education. International Indigenous Policy Journal, 9(2), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2018.9.2.5

Collier, B. (2020). Services for Indigenous People living in urban areas (Background paper). Library of Parliament, Ottawa, Canada, Publication No. 2020-66-E.

Calliou, B. (2021). A wise practices approach to Indigenous law, governance, and leadership: Resistance against the imposition of law. In R. Hamilton, J. Borrows, B. Mainprize, R. Beaton, & J.B.D. Nichols. (Eds.) Wise practices: Exploring Indigenous economic justice and self-determination (Chapter 2). U. of Toronto Press.

Cooke, M., Mitrou, F., Lawrence, D., Guimond, E., & Beavon. D. (2007). Indigenous well being in four countries: An application of the UNDP’s Human Development Index to Indigenous Peoples in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. BMC International Health and Human Rights, 7, Article 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-698X-7-9

Cornell, S. & Kalt, J. (1998). Sovereignty and nation-building: The development challenge in Indian country today. Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy & Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

First Nations Forestry Program. (2012). First Nations Forestry Program annual report 2009-2011 and 15-year program review. Canadian Forest Service.

Fortier, J., Wyatt, S., Natcher, D.C., Smith, M.A., & Hébert, M. (2013). An inventory of collaborative arrangements between Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian forest sector: Linking policies to diversification in forms of engagement. Journal of Environmental Management, 119, 47-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.01.005

Gysbers, J.D. & Lee, P. (2003). Aboriginal communities in forest regions of Canada: Disparities in socio-economic conditions. Global Forest Watch Canada.

Hair, J. F. Jr., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed). Prentice Hall.

Hickey, C. G., & Nelson, M. (2005). Partnerships between First Nations and the forest sector: A national survey. Edmonton, AB: Sustainable Forest Management Network.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. (1996). Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal peoples. Order in Council P.C. 1991-1597. Ottawa.

Kennedy, P. (1992). A guide to econometrics. MIT Press.

Kohn, M., Kissinger M., & Meir, A. (2021). Towards measuring Indigenous sustainability: Merging vernacular and modern knowledge. In R. Colbourne and R.B. Anderson (Eds.), Indigenous wellbeing and enterprise: Self-determination and sustainable economic development (pp. 112- 146). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429329029

Lauringson, A., Villsaar, K., Tammik, L., & Luhavee, T. (2011). Impact evaluation of labour market training. Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Lawler, J.H. & Bullock, R.C. (2017). A case for Indigenous community forestry. Journal of Forestry, 115(2), 117-125. https://doi.org/10.5849/jof.16-038

Mackean, T., Shakespeare, M., & Fisher, M. (2022). Indigenous and non-Indigenous theories of wellbeing and their suitability for wellbeing policy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (18), Article 11693. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811693

Nikolakis, W. & Nelson, H. (2015). To log or not to log? How forestry fits with the goals of First Nations in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 45(6), 639-646. https://doi. org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0349

O’Flaherty, R.M., Davidson-Hunt, I.J., & Manseau, M. (2008). Indigenous knowledge and values in planning for sustainable forestry: Pikangikum First Nation and the Whitefeather Forest Initiative. Ecology and Society, 13(1), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-02284-130106

Parkins, J. R., Stedman, R. C., Patriquin, M. N., & Burns, M. (2006). Strong policies, poor outcomes: Longitudinal analysis of forest sector contributions to Aboriginal communities in Canada. Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development, 5(1), 61-73.

Passelac-Ross, M. & Smith, M. A. (2013). Accommodation of Aboriginal rights: The need for an Aboriginal forest tenure. In D. B.Tindall, R. L. Trosper, & P. Perrault (Eds.), Aboriginal peoples and forest lands in Canada (pp. 31-47). UBC Press.

Pun, S.B. (2016). The implications and challenges of First Nations forestry negotiations in British Columbia, Canada: The Tl’azt’en Nation experience. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 35(8): 543-561. https://doi.org/10.1080/10549811.2016.1228071

Robitaille, P.A., Shahi, C., Smith, M.A., & Luckai, N. (2017). Growing together: A principle-based approach to building collaborative Indigenous partnerships in Canada’s forest sector. The Forestry Chronicle, 93(1), 44-57. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2017-010

Salmon, M., Doery, K., Dance, P., Chapman, J., Gilbert, R., Williams, R., & Lovett, R. (2018). Defining the indefinable: Descriptors of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultures and their links to health and wellbeing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Team, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University.

Sen, A. (1985). Wellbeing, agency and freedom. Journal of Philosophy, 82(4), 169–221.

Smith, M.A. (2015). A reflection on First Nations in their boreal homelands in Ontario: Between a rock and a caribou. Conservation and Society, 13(1), 23-38. https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-4923.161214

Smylie, J., Olding, M., & Ziegler, C. (2014). Sharing what we know about living a good life: Indigenous approaches to knowledge translation. Journal of Canadian Health Libraries Association, 35(1), 16–23. doi.org/10.5596/c14-009

Smyth, J.H. (1998). The First Nation Forestry Program. The Forestry Chronicle, 74(3), 343 346. https:// doi.org/10.5558/tfc74343-3

Taylor, M. E. (2021). Consultation or free, informed and prior consent? A comparative legal analysis of Indigenous consultation during natural resource activities in Australia and Canada. In R. Colbourne and R.B. Anderson (Eds.), Indigenous wellbeing and enterprise: Self-determination and sustainable economic development (pp. 88-111). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429329029

Trosper, R., Nelson, H., Hoberg, G., Smith, P., & Nikolakis, W. (2008). Institutional determinants of profitable commercial forestry enterprises among First Nations in Canada. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 38(2), 226-238. https://doi.org/10.1139/X07-167

Tsuji, S.R.J., Zuk, A.M., Solomon, A., Edwards-Wheesk, R., Ahmed, F., & Tsuji, L.J.S. (2023). What is wellbeing, and what is important for wellbeing? Indigenous voices from across Canada. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(17), Article 6656. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20176656

Vining, A.R. & Richards, J. (2016). Indigenous economic development in Canada: Confronting principal-agent and principal-principal problems to reduce resource rent dissipation. Resources Policy, 49, 358-367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2016.07.006

White-Harvey, R. (1994). Reservation geography and the restoration of native self government. Dalhousie Law Journal, 17(2), 587–611.

Wuttunee, W.A. (2004). Living rhythms: Lessons in aboriginal economic resilience and vision. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Wyatt, S. (2008). First Nations, forest lands, and “Aboriginal forestry” in Canada: From exclusion to comanagement and beyond. Canadian Journal of Forestry Research, 38(2), 171-180. https://doi.org/10.1139/X07-214

Wyatt, S., Fortier, J.F., Natcher, D.C., Smith, M.A., & Hébert. M. (2013). Collaboration between Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian forest sector: A typology of arrangements for establishing control and determining benefits of forestlands. Journal of Environmental Management, 115, 21-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.10.038

Yap, M. & Yu, E. (2016). Operationalising the capability approach: Developing culturally relevant indicators of Indigenous wellbeing—An Australian example. Oxford Development Studies, 44(3), 315–331. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2016.1178223

Zanutto, E. L. (2006). A comparison of propensity score and linear regression analysis of complex survey data. Journal of Data Science, 4, 67-91. https://doi.org/10.6339/JDS.2006.04(1).233

Zurba, M. & Bullock, R. (2020). Bioenergy development and the implications for the social well-being of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Ambio, 49, 299-309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01166-1

Downloads

Published

2024-10-22

Issue

Section

Lessons From Research