Abstract
MacLean has three active Indigenous business partnerships in place across Canada's north, to sell and support specialized underground mining equipment - in Nunavut, Ontario, and Newfoundland & Labrador. The partnership in Labrador is with the Innu Nation's economic development arm, the IDLP, and the Nunatsiavut Govermnent's business development arm, the NGC. The Innu-Inuit MacLean partnership was formalized in 2019 and since that time has sold 11 pieces of underground mining equipment to the underground phase of Vale's Voisey's Bay project, along with over 4,000 hours of field service support.
It took two years of discussions to formalize this business partnership between MacLean and the Innu and the Inuit of Labrador. This development of a business relationship based on respect and mutual benefit was approached deliberatively, with the philosophy that for a generational mine, the relationship at the foundation of any partnership meant to sustain and grow over the long-term life of that mine, trust and mutual understanding needs to be built slowly to stand the test of time. This talk will delve into the process that the IDLP, NGC, and MacLean undertook to formalize the partnership, and what they have learned in the ensuing years. This would be a co-presentation from MacLean, NGC, and IDLP representatives.