Q&A
A chat with Harold Calla, CPA, FCGA, about the
economic strides made by and tough choices
facing Canada’s First Nations
A
s a longtime advocate and negotiator for First Nations, Harold
Calla, CPA, FCGA, has an immutable faith in what Aboriginal
participation in mainstream business can mean for his people:
economic liberation.
Last year, in a letter to a Saskatchewan newspaper, he wrote that
$500 billion in resource development projects in Canada involve
lands in the hands of First Nations, and noted that Canadian courts
have upheld the federal duty to consult Aboriginal communities on
all material matters. One line spoke to what could be Harold’s credo:
“I argue that partnership will accomplish more than brinkmanship.”
Recent court decisions have supported his statements.
Harold currently chairs the First Nations Financial Management
Board (FNFMB), which works to help bridge the Aboriginal and nonAboriginal communities on issues vital to the future of our shared
environment and overlapping economies. His views are in demand
across the country not just because he is the chair of the FNFMB, but
also because he is a respected treaty negotiator and business professional who has sat on the boards of FortisBC, the Canada Mortgage
and Housing Corporation, and Partnerships BC.
You’re nearing the end of your second term as
executive chair of the FNFMB. Will there be a third?
Harold: That’s the hope: one more term. We think it’s important that there
be continuity, and we look at this next term as completing some of our
strategic work and implementing the succession plan.
So you’re not contemplating the “R” word at the
moment?
Harold: No [laughs]... Oh no, I’m having too much fun. The next term
will see me transition to the end goal of retirement.
Harold Calla, CPA, FCGA. Photo by Ron Sangha Productions.
40 CPABC in Focus • Nov/Dec 2014
Part of the FNFMB’s mandate is to be a public voice.
Do you find yourself in a quasi-political role? And
where do you focus your energies?
Harold: There are always politics attached to the kind of work we do,
but we stay clear of it. Our goal is to promote the development of First
Nations’ engagement with the economy and gaining access to capital.
We’ve proven that it works. Institutional investors have been very
active in pursuing debentures of Aboriginal economic development.