Mining aboriginal labour: examining capital reconversion strategies occurring on the risk management field

AbstractThis article examines a vocational education and training partnership occurring in the Canadian oil sands mining industry. The case study involves a corporate-sponsored pre-apprenticeship training programme designed to procure aboriginal labour in the province of Alberta. Interviews with members of key partner groups and stakeholders occurred during and after programme completion. Drawing from Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of the social field, capital reconversion strategies of partner groups are examined and critically evaluated in relation to the concept of ‘reputational risk management’ which I argue constitutes the underlying motive of the mine sponsor to procure racialised labour in order to maintain unfettered exploitation of resources whilst appeasing aboriginal resentment over land dispossession. Differential asset structures which partners bring to the partnership produce tensions that impact well-being and meaningful participation at the community level in the areas of education, training and employment.Keywords: vocational education and training partnershipsrisk managementoil sandsaboriginal peoples AcknowledgementsThis research project was supported by a doctoral fellowship provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and a dissertation fellowship provided by the University of Alberta.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.Notes1. In Canada, aboriginal refers to people of First Nation, Metis, or Inuit ethnicity.2. Here, I follow the work of Taylor (Citation2009) who uses Bourdieu’s field theory to ‘map the VET field’.3. As useful as Bourdieu’s stratification analysis is in elucidating elusive species of capital deployed on the VET field, I also follow the work of Burawoy (Citation2009) and Wright (Citation2009) in recognising that an analysis of micro-social relations is not mutually exclusive to macro-structural forces, which in the contexts of this analysis involves colonial relations of late capitalism.4. Some of these figures may not be accurate owing to conflicting reports. For instance, a 1980 newspaper account in the Edmonton Journal indicated that less than 5% of the total Suncor workforce of 1500 were aboriginal (cited in Krahn Citation1983, 75). A decade later, the same newspaper reported that only 1% of jobs at Suncor and 6% of jobs at Syncrude were filled by local aboriginal people – a concern that was raised by the ATC that the federal government was not providing enough money for education and job training (Hryciuk Citation1990). As of 10 November 2014, Syncrude listed on its website that it is one of the largest private-sector employers of aboriginal people in Canada with approximately 9% of its workforce identifying as aboriginal (http://www.syncrude.ca/community-involvement/aboriginal-relations/).5. Test of Workplace Essential Skills is an exam required by the mine sponsor, and tests for workplace essential skills (working with others, reading, numeracy, writing, oral communication, thinking skills, computers). General equivalency diploma is a high school equivalency exam; students must be 18-years old and out of school for more than 10 consecutive months.6. Within the political sphere, groups form relationships with the media, environmental groups and trade unions; within the juridical sphere, processes of legislation and regulation of development occur (O’Faircheallaigh Citation2008).7. Unlike some of the First Nations they represent, the tribal council does not publicly challenge industrial development, but instead endorses it through promotion of partnerships with mining companies. The tribal council runs its own youth ‘career camp’ where ‘Oilsands 101’ is taught, along with labour relations, workers’ rights, resume writing and career counselling. Sponsorship comes from the provincial government and local mining companies. The involvement with industry-related and funded career camps suggests that the council’s primary motivation concerning partnerships involves jurisdictional control and coordination of clients as per the agreements with the federal government.8. Eight of 10 respondents provided years of service with their respective organisation. Numbers presented do not indicate location (regional or local community), level of formal training or ethnicity. However, years of service generally tended to be longer in regional communities. Where there were several employees interviewed from the same organisation, a yearly average is calculated.9. In this instance, the majority of active clients registered with the tribal council were non-tribal council members, requiring the employment coordinator to contact other aboriginal employment offices on their behalf in order to procure funding.10. Membership in some local First Nations has changed owing to historic enforcement of Wood Buffalo National Park boundaries that stipulated which FN was required to have a licence to hunt in the park (McCormack Citation1984). As a result, some First Nations have more members due to the effects of colonial administration. Amendments to the Indian Act under Bill C–3 have enabled women to get their Indian status back, which has caused the Métis population to decrease (I–10, Métis human resources personnel).Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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