2.3 Community visioning and unity
As Indigenous Peoples, we have the right to self-determination. We have the right to make and carry out our own
plans and priorities for our territories, resources and people.
There are different ways to develop a community vision. When a large-mining company wanted to develop a mine
in their territory, the Innu in Labrador, Canada decided to gather the voices of community members in order to
decide how to respond. Local teams went to every single person in the communities to find out their thoughts on the
mine, their hopes, their concerns and how they thought the leaders should proceed. In this case, some experts were
brought in to help community members understand how a large mine operates, what can go wrong and what can be
done to help prevent negative impacts.
From the information that was gathered, leaders had a “mandate,” which means clear instructions from the
community. Community members said that: 1) Before any mining could happen, their land rights had to be
respected; 2) The project had to be slowed down so they could have time to get prepared; and 3) They wanted real
partnerships, not just jobs.15
When the companies or government tried to do things differently, the Innu leaders said “No!” They had a mandate
from their people.
Key FPIC Tip: We have to stay united in our vision and if community divisions or disagreements develop, we should
work to settle them internally. We cannot show our divisions to outsiders. Companies, governments and other
outsiders are very quick to take advantage of divisions to get what they want!
2.4 Deciding on how we will make community decisions and strengthening
our decision-making systems if we need to
How governments or companies make decisions can be very different from how Indigenous Peoples do. For example,
members of parliament may vote yes or no on policies without ever asking the people they represent. Or a company
might want a village council to decide immediately if our people will support a project, without allowing time for the
rest of the community to be consulted. Remember Free, Prior and Informed Consent means:
•
Respect for the authority of the leaders we choose to represent us;
•
Respect for our customary systems for making decisions; and
•
Respect for the systems we choose to make decisions for our people.
15 Innes, Larry. “Voisey’s Bay: the Innu Experience.” Presented at the Training of Trainers Workshop on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,
Extractive Industries & National Development Policies in Guyana, Cara Lodge, Georgetown, Guyana. March 7, 2010.
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Free, Prior and Informed Consent