Centering First Nations Concepts of Wellbeing

The document, Centering First Nations Concepts of Wellbeing: Toward a GDP-Alternative Index in British Columbia, argues that BC's continued reliance on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is insufficient for measuring overall societal health, as GDP fails to capture holistic values like environmental integrity, cultural continuity, and community well-being, which are central to Indigenous concepts of a "good life". The paper highlights a global movement toward adopting GDP-alternative indices—citing successful examples in New Zealand and Iceland—and urges BC to develop a new Indigenous-centric Wellbeing Index that meaningfully includes First Nations in its design and implementation to guide more sustainable government policy, accelerate the implementation of UNDRIP principles, and support productive economic recovery