REGINA, SASK — An observation of gaps in economic reconciliation led Cadmus Delorme to form OneHoop.
Since 2023, OneHoop has helped guide Indigenous and non-Indigenous corporations in incorporating land acknowledgement and Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action into the workplace.
“We help them put it in their procurement policies and their employment numbers, their retention, recruitment, and retention. We put it in their budgets to make sure that they understand what they're investing and where the investment is,” said Delorme.
Depending on their task, Delorme said a corporation could simply incorporate a call to action or have a multi-year guideline plan.
“Some organizations are just asking us to come in and focus on Call to Action 57 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is professional development. They’re at that beginning stage and want their board, executives and staff to understand the importance of reconciliation.
He added, “That’s one approach, focusing on Call to Action 57 and professional development. Then we can step it up a stage. If they want a reconciliation action plan, that’s where we develop one-year, five-year and 10-year plans. The reconciliation action plan will outline the scope, purpose and other key areas.”
Delorme noted many decision makers weren’t taught about Truth and Reconciliation in schools, and each one has a ceiling on how much they’re willing to incorporate.
“Everybody wants it till it starts to impact their budget, their profit, their procurement in their secured contracts. And so I don't take that as a negative, but I have to know their ceiling and comfort level.”
As companies continue recognizing Truth and Reconciliation Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Delorme wants corporations to move from qualitative to quantitative.
“What that means is asking where Indigenous employees are at. How many do we have working here? Do they feel safe here when they work here?”
He also hopes companies understand the difference between equality and reconciliation.
“Diversity is who's in the room. Reconciliation is who holds the power in the room. And so when we are doing reconciliation, it shouldn't fall within that same equity level. It has to be an understanding that it's a pillar because we all inherited this history together.”
In the long term, Delorme said the country will benefit from corporations incorporating reconciliation.
“Our GDP is gonna rise by 2.1 per cent or $27.7 billion in Canada. This is a domestic thing. This isn't a tariff thing, this isn't a trade agreement, this is just internally, domestically. We're going to add 135,000 jobs annually,” he said, mentioning the National Indigenous Economic Strategy report.
