Canadian National Railway released its Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan recently, the first concrete plans to reconcile with Indigenous communities across Canada.
The IRAP will strengthen ties with the Indigenous communities, CN said, as well as create opportunities for meaningful collaboration. CN said its IRAP commitments and actions were developed by working with Indigenous communities, and through engagement by CN employees in those communities. Through the IRAP, CN said it hopes to build sustainable, respectful a long-term partnerships with Indigenous peoples.
“Our Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan is a major milestone on CN’s path toward reconciliation with Indigenous communities,” Olivier Chouc, senior vice-president and Chief Legal Officer. “As a company, we are committed to driving meaningful change and ensuring that our efforts have a lasting, positive impact. This is about more than a plan—it’s about deepening relationships, fostering collaboration, and building a better future together.”
The plan focuses on five pillars – cultural awareness and employee engagement; people and employment, economic reconciliation, community engagement, and environmental stewardship, safety and sustainability.
CN operates nearly 20,000-miles of rail that is within or adjacent to nearly 230 reserve lands of more than 120 First Nations and Metis communities in Canada, and 7 Tribal reservations in the U.S. Midwest and Gulf of Mexico.
In December of last year, all 12 members of a council of prominent Indigenous leaders advising CN resigned over their believe that the company had failed to acknowledge past wrongs or to follow its recommendations for reconciliation.
At the time, CN issued a formal acknowledgement of the social, cultural, and economic toll railways have taken on Indigenous communities.
CN said its IRAP reflects is commitment to continuous learning, meaningful action, and lasting progress, saying its continued efforts support and honor Indigenous communities across its rail network.