Indigenous entrepreneurs explore 231-year old treaty as a way around US tariffs

By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A First Nations trapper and entrepreneur is using his rights under a 231-year-old treaty to run his business across the US-Canada border without a visa, and other Indigenous business owners are also now using this legal pathway to bypass rising US tariffs and trade restrictions. George Bahm, a member of the Teslin Tlingit Council, and his wife expanded their business, Wild Yukon Furs, into the US in 2022. They sell fur jewellery and handmade goods sourced and created in their Yukon facility to tourists in Skagway, Alaska — a popular stop for international and domestic visitors during the busy cruise season. “Most of the time, they just ask for my Canadian status card, and then, away I go. It’s super…

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