First Nation consultancy owner advocates for dispelling stereotypes

By Sam Laskaris

TORONTO – Bob Goulais still spends a lot of time educating people about some misconceptions they have about First Nations peoples.

Goulais, a member of Nipissing First Nation, founded Nbisiing Consulting Inc. in 2015, a company that specializes in Indigenous cultural competency training.

Goulais was also a featured speaker at the DEFY 2026 Supplier Inclusion Conference, staged Mar. 11-12 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

He spoke at a Mar. 11 session titled Key Considerations in Working with Indigenous Peoples.

“A lot of people talk about how there’s billions of dollars going into First Nation communities, lining the pockets of rich Chiefs while First Nation families live in poverty,” Goulais said. “I’ve worked with First Nation Chiefs my entire life – about 30 years of working shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest orators and leaders across this country…I’ve yet to meet one rich Chief. Not one. But I’ve known at least 12 that have died in poverty, serving their community, right to their very last breath.”

Goulais added there are other contemporary stereotypes of First Nations people that need to be dispelled.

“We are taxpaying Canadians,” he said. “We are people that are about trying to share these lands in an equitable way.”

During his session, Goulais stressed the importance of having Indigenous cultural competency when dealing with Indigenous peoples in the business sector.

“I know that’s a difficult lesson for folks out there that it’s not just about doing business,” he said. “It’s about values. It’s about relationships and cultural competency. It’s about our connection to our culture. That’s so important.”

Goulais also said it’s vital when dealing with Indigenous groups to realize they have important value systems. For example, he mentioned the Seven Grandfather Teachings that are the foundational Anishinaabe guiding principles.

Goulais singled out of one of these teachings – Love. He said love was taken away from First Nations through colonialism, Indian Residential Schools and the Sixties Scoop.

“That’s the reason why there’s so much aspects of that intergenerational trauma, that many of our children live without love,” he said, adding his own parents have passed away but he never heard them tell him that they love him. “And that’s quite common. It’s not a part of our culture anymore, but when it comes to our traditional values, love is fundamental.”

Another takeaway Goulais wanted to pass on to conference attendees was the teaching of respect.

“In our culture, in our language, that respect, too, is also unconditional, which is very challenging for some people because we’re taught in this Western society, in this common way, that respect needs to be earned,” he said.

He also said respect is unconditional, including in the business world.

“Relationships very much important,” he said. “It’s all about relationships. When I provide consulting on Indigenous relationships, I talk about how we need to develop those relationships before we develop a business relationship.”

He urged others to take time to develop relationships before diving into business discussions.

Goulais also offered advice how to do business with Indigenous suppliers. He suggested the unbundling of large contracts into smaller manageable pieces to allow First Nations an opportunity to work on various aspects of a project.

The conference was organized by the Supplier Inclusion Alliance Canada. The event was called DEFY 2026 as its aim was to “defy the odds” by fostering innovation, growth, and resilient supply chains through diverse partnerships.