MSS Medical Surgical & Safety supplies, a Northwest Territories based company, is giving a portion of its profits to Lheildi T’enneh First Nation in the name of reconciliation.
MSS is an Indigenous-owned company that provides surgical and safety supplies to the healthcare industry, including anything from gloves to high-end electronic medical supplies.
MSS president James Hiebert, who is a member of Turtle Clan Mohawk Nation, presented Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan with a social benefit cheque for $15,000 as the first payment in their new partnership.
Hiebert explained that MSS has a social mandate to increase the influence of Indigenous businesses across the healthcare supply chains of Canada.
“The way MSS works is we partner with Indigenous bands, and we do business in their regions across Canada, and then we share in the new revenues with the bands,” said Hiebert.
“Canadians are not getting enough benefit from their supply chain and right now the money is leaving Canada, and it's not benefiting our communities and I believe this is a new way that large businesses should behave in a Canadian economy.”
This is the second partnership agreement the company has announced. The first is with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation based in the Niagara region of Ontario.
Hiebert said they chose to partner with Lheidli T’enneh because of its status as a host nation.
“We felt that partnering with the host bands would give us the most influence in the health care system and we felt that Lheidli T’enneh was a great fit after we met with the nation and the chief. There was a good connection there and I felt that that it was a good time to partner with them and start working towards these initiatives together,” said Hiebert.
“We are immensely proud that our second partnership agreement is with the Lheidli T’enneh,” he said, adding that MSS plans to do eight more partnerships with eight more bands across Canada this year.
“MSS approached us some months ago about this proposed partnership. It was the first time an Indigenous-owned company has contacted us to support such a unique model of Indigenous entrepreneurship and social benefit,” said Logan. “The partnership reflects our traditional model of Indigenous entrepreneurship, economic development, and trade where everyone benefits and not just one party or another.”
