“Partners in Prosperity”

Analyzing the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation

Abstract

The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, introduced by the Jason Kenney United Conservative Government, seeks to “enable access to capital, make financing more affordable and improve lending terms to create economic prosperity and social improvements in communities” (AIOC 2019). In other words, it provides Indigenous nations with loans to participate in resource development in Alberta. This neoliberalist approach suggests Indigenous wellbeing can be improved through induction into the free market. However, the principle of free market has historically dispossessed Indigenous peoples of their lands which urges me to question to what extent does the AIOC address colonial dispossession within the capitalist economy? I will be specifically analyzing the composition of the AIOC through Bill 14 and discuss the current day relevance of this legislation in the context of reconciliation.