In September 2013, the Forest Products Association of Canada and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business awarded the Opitciwan sawmill the Aboriginal Business Leadership Award for its commitment to Aboriginal traditional values and the environment and for its job creation within the community
Partnership involves giving up the power one has over the other.
The Kahnawake Caisse Populaire
Successful Collaboration Between Mohawks and Quebecers
We don’t often hear about successful collaboration between Mohawks and Quebecers. But with creativity and understanding, almost anything is possible. That’s one of the lessons that can be drawn from our experience with the Caisse populaire Kahnawake.
In an article published in Relations in 1994, Michael L. Rice, a founding member and past general manager of the Caisse populaire Kahnawake, summarized the economic situation in his community:
Up until 1987, our community did not have its own financial institution. Many banks, ignorant of our laws and customs, were reluctant or ill-equipped to meet the needs of our people. In addition, it was extremely frustrating to try and obtain government funding for business development. We needed a source of financing, so the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake decided to establish an Aboriginal financial institution. The Caisse populaire Kahnawake opened in 1987.
The “Kahnawake Model”
Michael Rice pointed out that when the caisse was established, there was an immediate impact on the community’s economic development. But the institution was also notable for the fiduciary system it created to overcome obstacles arising from the Indian
Rice concluded that Kahnawake’s caisse populaire has had a significant economic impact: “almost all commercial loans, two-thirds of mortgage loans and over half of personal loans would undoubtedly not have been granted by outside financial institutions.” (Idem.)
When asked why they went with a caisse populaire instead of a bank, Rice replied that it was mostly because of the cooperative structure of ownership and control, which is more democratic and closer to the community’s cultural values, as well as the tax benefits available to caisses. (Idem.)
30 Years On, the Caisse is in Enviable Financial Health
Thirty years on, the Caisse populaire Kahnawake had equity of $23.9 million as at December 31, 2016, an increase of 11.6% over the previous financial year. It saw its loan portfolio grow from $16 million in 1994 to $55 million in financial year 2016, including $43 million in mortgage loans and $8.5 million in commercial loans. (Caisse populaire Kahnawake 2016, 5-8) The Caisse populaire Kahnawake is a concrete example of cooperation that benefits both Mohawks and Quebecers.