
Dave Kennedy is the founder and president of Strategic Aboriginal Consulting Inc. Since 1984, Dave has led or had major involvement in virtually every dimension of Indigenous issues. He has:
Led negotiations on multi-million dollar, long term funding agreements.
Negotiated treaties in both Labrador and British Columbia – some of the very few modern treaties south of 60º.
Participated in and advised on Indigenous constitutional conferences, including both the Charlottetown Accord and Calgary Declaration.
Led project-specific consultations with First Nations for industry, including major acquisitions and multi-billion dollar resource developments.
Participated in assessing and managing Indigenous interests in due diligence processes.
Designed and developed policies and strategies relating to economic development, social programs, land and resource development and treaty negotiations.
Designed and led processes to delegate child and family services authority to First Nations.
Undertaken extensive consultations with Indigenous communities.
Chaired discussions among the federal and provincial governments and First Nations leadership towards revitalizing the BC treaty process.
Assisted Indigenous government capacity development including constitutional development and internal community consultation processes.
Developed a comprehensive strategy for the corporate community to improve the treaty process and achieve increased interim predictability.
Coordinated a strategy for the New Relationship Business Group on First Nation Consultation and Accommodation.
Developed and delivered a one-day Indigenous Risk and Relationship Management Training.
Negotiated benefit / project agreements with multiple First Nations relating to major capital projects including natural gas pipelines traversing dozens of traditional territories.
Since founding his company, Dave has worked on major private acquisitions and due diligence processes valued at up to $1.4 billion, advised on the design of BC Hydro’s calls for power, and led Indigenous consultation and accommodation processes and negotiations on major capital projects. More recently, Dave developed the Indigenous relations and negotiations strategy and devised the financial benefit models for the Coastal GasLink and Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Projects for TransCanada Pipelines and had lead responsibility for Indigenous negotiations on these multi-billion dollar projects. He has undertaken Indigenous risk assessments and assessments of adequacy of consultation relating to multi-million dollar commodity purchase and sale agreements.
For Indigenous clients he has facilitated strategic planning processes for Indigenous governments and devised a new Indigenous governance structure and constitution for the Métis Nation British Columbia through a community-based consultative process.
Dave’s experience includes 13 years with provincial governments where he led treaty, financial and other Indigenous negotiations and participated in meetings to reduce tensions at blockades. He led the redesign of the delegation of self-government powers to First Nations and through most of those years was responsible for federal/provincial/Indigenous discussions at the national level. Dave has advised premiers and ministers and represented provincial governments at national level Indigenous meetings, including talks on constitutional change. As Executive Director of the BC Treaty Commission, Dave was responsible for facilitating problem-solving for over 40 tripartite treaty negotiation tables.
Led negotiations on multi-million dollar, long term funding agreements.
Negotiated treaties in both Labrador and British Columbia – some of the very few modern treaties south of 60º.
Participated in and advised on Indigenous constitutional conferences, including both the Charlottetown Accord and Calgary Declaration.
Led project-specific consultations with First Nations for industry, including major acquisitions and multi-billion dollar resource developments.
Participated in assessing and managing Indigenous interests in due diligence processes.
Designed and developed policies and strategies relating to economic development, social programs, land and resource development and treaty negotiations.
Designed and led processes to delegate child and family services authority to First Nations.
Undertaken extensive consultations with Indigenous communities.
Chaired discussions among the federal and provincial governments and First Nations leadership towards revitalizing the BC treaty process.
Assisted Indigenous government capacity development including constitutional development and internal community consultation processes.
Developed a comprehensive strategy for the corporate community to improve the treaty process and achieve increased interim predictability.
Coordinated a strategy for the New Relationship Business Group on First Nation Consultation and Accommodation.
Developed and delivered a one-day Indigenous Risk and Relationship Management Training.
Negotiated benefit / project agreements with multiple First Nations relating to major capital projects including natural gas pipelines traversing dozens of traditional territories.
Since founding his company, Dave has worked on major private acquisitions and due diligence processes valued at up to $1.4 billion, advised on the design of BC Hydro’s calls for power, and led Indigenous consultation and accommodation processes and negotiations on major capital projects. More recently, Dave developed the Indigenous relations and negotiations strategy and devised the financial benefit models for the Coastal GasLink and Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Projects for TransCanada Pipelines and had lead responsibility for Indigenous negotiations on these multi-billion dollar projects. He has undertaken Indigenous risk assessments and assessments of adequacy of consultation relating to multi-million dollar commodity purchase and sale agreements.
For Indigenous clients he has facilitated strategic planning processes for Indigenous governments and devised a new Indigenous governance structure and constitution for the Métis Nation British Columbia through a community-based consultative process.
Dave’s experience includes 13 years with provincial governments where he led treaty, financial and other Indigenous negotiations and participated in meetings to reduce tensions at blockades. He led the redesign of the delegation of self-government powers to First Nations and through most of those years was responsible for federal/provincial/Indigenous discussions at the national level. Dave has advised premiers and ministers and represented provincial governments at national level Indigenous meetings, including talks on constitutional change. As Executive Director of the BC Treaty Commission, Dave was responsible for facilitating problem-solving for over 40 tripartite treaty negotiation tables.
There is virtually no aspect of Indigenous Relations in which Dave has not had key involvement. Let his experience and expertise work for you.