“When I thought about that statement, I realized my experiences relating to racism occurred with people who, I believe, meant no harm.”
The full posts can be found at his website at bosgoedprojects.com. The following is a condensed version of them.
1. Do not assign them to Indigenous jobs or projects without asking first.
Bosgoed recommends not offering someone who is Indigenous a role or project position dedicated to Indigenous issues without discussing with them their career goals and interests. While some individuals would be honoured and qualified to take on the opportunity, others may have different aspirations.
2. Do not say, ‘Good for you!’ when you learn they are university graduates.
He advises that learning someone’s Indigenous identity should not lead you to disregard their professional experience. He describes his experience of meeting a vice-president of a smaller engineering company when he himself was a senior vice-president of a global project delivery company. During the introduction, the other vice-president said to Bosgoed, “You are Aboriginal and an engineer? Good for you!” before speaking about his own project experience and suggesting Bosgoed may not have worked on similarly valued projects, which was an incorrect assumption on his part.
3. Do not assume an appointment is a “token.
He describes another experience of being appointed to a board after being found qualified for an appointment. He shared this news with a senior manager in a company he visited. This senior manager responded by saying, “Was that a token appointment?” After considering his comment for a few days, Bosgoed broached the subject again with this manager, who was new to Canada and a person of colour. While the manager’s first reaction was to defend himself by explaining he had experienced racism himself, Bosgoed reminded him of his company’s code of conduct. He apologized to Bosgoed and future conversations improved.
4. “I thought you would feel more comfortable sitting with other Indigenous people at a banquet.”
Bosgoed describes attending a large banquet. The seating chart for the event had all Indigenous people attending seated at the same table. While Bosgoed was happy to meet those at the table, he would have enjoyed sitting with those he already knew at other tables. He believes it was a missed opportunity because non-Indigenous people at other tables would have appreciated sharing a meal with those individuals at his table. He also points out that Elders invited to such events should be seated at the head table.
5. Don’t assume their prior employment was the result of an equity program.
An experience meeting a senior executive in a government department led Bosgoed to make this point. As they walked through the executive’s office space, Bosgoed asked if he had any Indigenous employees. He was hoping to meet someone he could invite to speak at schools about their career. The executive turned to him and said, “You are already taken care of, aren’t you?” He felt the comment was condescending and wondered if this person assumed he was asking for an equity position and was the beneficiary of a program that “takes care” of Indigenous engineers. While Bosgoed’s CEO apologized for the interaction, they did not confront the person or notify the department because he thought it could “hurt the First Nation’s cause if he were called out for his behaviour.”
6. “Would you be the owner of a new company so we can attract Indigenous contracts?”
Some procurement strategies developed by some companies and governments are based on majority Indigenous ownership. Asking an Indigenous person — who may or may not be qualified — to head an enterprise that is run by non-Indigenous people simply to win work misses the point of these strategies. They are to acknowledge how Indigenous people have for decades not been included in the system and to allow for wealth and employment to be generated for Indigenous communities and individuals.
7. “Do you pay taxes?” Yes, I pay taxes.
Bosgoed wonders if this position is to suggest Indigenous people are not contributing to Canadian society the same as non-Indigenous people. Only First Nations people who live and work on reserve are exempt from paying taxes. It is important to remember the treaties and legal cases which provide historic and legal reasons for on-reserve tax exemption.
8. Do not remove Indigenous employees from a project because they are Indigenous.
Bosgoed was removed from two different projects because of being Indigenous. The clients in these instances had never met with or spoken to him before asking for him to be removed.
In the first, he was to be a project manager on a project that included a First Nation. One of its members objected to Bosgoed being involved because he is a member of Peepeekisis First Nation.
In the second instance, Bosgoed was introduced at a project meeting as a senior vice-president, general manager and a First Nations person. The environmental consultant on the project objected to Bosgoed’s participation. That person’s scope included Indigenous community engagement and they were concerned that Bosgoed’s interest in the project was only in its Indigenous aspects.
In hindsight, Bosgoed says his employer at that time should have challenged the clients “in a thoughtful yet professional way” to support him as an employee.
9. “We don’t need any Indigenous board members right now.”
Bosgoed was invited by a cabinet minister to a first meeting about a deputy minister position of a new department. Before they met again, they both attended an event that recognized Bosgoed’s company for its charitable contributions. The charity’s CEO described Bosgoed as being First Nations. At the second meeting with the minister, Bosgoed was informed there were no Crown board seats for Indigenous people available. Bosgoed says, “I felt all of my accomplishments which had prepared me for the ‘big job’ were erased simply by being Indigenous.”
10. Silence.
Indigenous employees need to be invited into the same professional culture as all other employees. Coffee breaks, corporate challenges, charitable campaigns, sports teams, after-work drinks, and social events allow employees to get to know one another and to be known for being their unique selves. Non-Indigenous people should not assume Indigenous people “have their own things” and invite them to participate so all individuals can get to know one another.
Gary Bosgoed’s blog posts
Post 1 – https://bosgoedprojects.com/ten-things-not-to-say-to-indigenous-employees/
Post 2 – https://bosgoedprojects.com/ten-things-not-to-say-to-indigenous-employees-part-2/
Post 3 – https://bosgoedprojects.com/ten-things-not-to-say-to-indigenous-employees-part-3/
Post 4 – https://bosgoedprojects.com/ten-things-not-to-say-to-indigenous-employees-part-4/