AMC deeply disappointed with Manitoba Hydro’s Corporate Social Responsibility Report

November 20, 2020

Treaty One Territory, Manitoba

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Treaty One Territory – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Secretariat Inc. (AMC) issues this statement in regards to Manitoba Hydro’s (Hydro) recent release of their Corporate Social Responsibility Report (the “Report”). The Report fails to include any meaningful First Nations representation and fails to acknowledge any corporate responsibility or plan for Reconciliation and relation-building with First Nations in Manitoba. 

AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas stated, “It is astonishing and deeply disappointing that Hydro would seek to congratulate and pat themselves on the back on their self-proclaimed Corporate Social Responsibility Report while completely ignoring First Nations and the glaring issues that the AMC has brought to their attention on multiple occasions. What they have done is an exercise in shiny public relations rhetoric. They have avoided and denied any meaningful engagement, consultation or collaboration with First Nations in Manitoba.” 

Grand Chief Dumas added, “In light of recent corporate decisions to ignore First Nations concerns with respect to the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 at the Keeyask Hydroelectric construction site, in light of the recent attempts of the Hydro CEO to smear elected First Nations leadership as irresponsible and spreading misinformation, and in light of the corporate decision to fight its own oversight Board for a special rate class for on-reserve customers amidst a pandemic, this Report is anything but socially responsible. There is no mention of a plan to respond to the recommendations of the Keeyask report into the prevalence of systemic racism at the construction site, or any mention of the report of the Clean Environment Commission that outlined the long and sordid history of misogyny, abuse and systemic anti-First Nations racism that has accompanied Hydro development for decades.”  

“Simply ignoring First Nations or attempting to brush us out of the way is unconscionable, and frankly, given the recent and ongoing issues with the uncontrolled Keeyask COVID-19 outbreaks, is just dangerous. From the perspective of the AMC, Hydro is far from socially responsible and in fact, they are irresponsible,” concluded AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas.

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