Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development
Not a member yet
444 research outputs found
Sort by
Soonias Leading Farm Credit Canada’s Indigenous Agricultural Efforts
No full textFarm Credit Canada (FCC), the country’s largest agricultural term lender, has been around since 1959. But it’s only been the last few years that the Crown corporation, which reports to the Canadian Parliament through the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, has taken a much more serious approach to Indigenous agriculture. “How to support Indigenous agriculture wasn’t part of the mandate and wasn’t maybe looked at seriously until [the] early 2000s,” said Shawn Soonias, a member of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. “Leadership made some efforts to understand the opportunity and what the role might look like. It was [in] 2019 that the company was able to create that role that I occupy as director of Indigenous relations.
Indigenous and Non-Indigenous 2021 Unemployment, Employment, and Participation Rates: Improved from 2020—Education is Critical
No full textUnemployment rates were lower, and participation and employment rates were higher for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada in 2021. The meaningful improvements in 2021 are in comparison with the COVID-19-induced negative rates of 2020. The employment and unemployment rates have not fully recovered from their 2019 pre-COVID rates. This is the case for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Employment, unemployment, participation, and wage rates are and have been more favourable for non-Indigenous individuals than for Indigenous individuals. When educational levels increase, employment, unemployment, and participation rates improve. Employment measures are examined by gender, age, and education, and Métis and First Nations employment measures are compared
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Aboriginal Economic Development Corporations (AEDCs), 2019–2021: An Interview-based Perspective with CEOs
No full textCollaborating with the Canadian Council on Aboriginal Business (CCAB), the authors investigate how Aboriginal Economic Development Corporations (AEDCs) responded to and, in most cases, weathered the commercial disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Working from survey interviews, supplemented by business data from previous CCAB national surveys and other governmental information, the authors explore the challenges that CEOs faced and how they managed their companies through the COVID crisis. For many of the AEDCs respondents, the problems they were facing were not necessarily brought on by the pandemic but were outgrowths of pre-existing socioeconomic disparities that had been exacerbated by COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic, these CEOs battled to maintain operations, manage and support staff in trying circumstances, and keep their assets operating or safely managed. They frequently assisted their home communities with services not normally within their purview, including producing PPE products and delivering groceries and medicine to remote communities. This report focuses on crisis management and can be a useful reference point for policymakers and decision-makers looking to create coherent responses to whatever the next crisis faced by EDCs might be
LaBillois Provides Mi’gmaq Employment Through Her Businesses
No full textVictoria LaBillois wanted to be part of the solution. Mission accomplished. Many times over
Introduction
No full textThe state of the Aboriginal economy, as well as the Canadian economy in 2020, was severely and negatively impacted by the coronavirus. However, it should be noted that the value of education was confirmed. As levels of education increased, wage rates and employment measures continued to show improvements. This is the case for both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals
Carol Anne Hilton, Indigenomics: Taking a Seat at the Economic Table (BC: NEW SOCIETY PUBLISHERS, 2021)
No full textIndigenous peoples in Canada and around the world, for that matter, have come a very long way in addressing challenges and obstacles to nurturing and building healthy nations, communities, and economies. It has been our privilege to shed light on the resilience and tenacity demonstrated in stories and actions across this nation over the last half century. Community and business leaders have demonstrated incredible tenacity and strength in addressing the real economic challenges arising from a history of exclusion. There is a strong coterie of fellow researchers in the academy who have followed this journey, and without a doubt, we, as Indigenous people, are a powerful people, as noted throughout Carol Anne Hilton’s new book on the future of the Indigenous economy. The book, based upon her work at the Indigenomics Institute, paints a picture of a future full of opportunity and promise for those who are ready, with gratitude to those who are making the way forward
Introduction
No full textThis issue’s Lessons from Experience provides an opportunity for all of us to learn from and celebrate each other through an introduction to the ED of the Year Award Winners, followed by an introduction to the host of Cando’s annual conference, Whitecap Dakota First Nation, and the tremendous economic work it has achieved over the past several decades. We will then turn our attention to British Columbia, where a small B.C. corporation finds many ways to support economic development opportunities for Indigenous organizations
2022 Economic Developer of the Year Award Winners
No full textIn 1995, the Cando Economic Developer of the Year Award was created to recognize and promote recent or longstanding Indigenous economic development initiatives throughout Canada. All winners, past and present, share a desire to advance their communities as each pursues a vision of sustainable economic self-sufficienc
Treaty Rights as a Source for First Nation Social and Economic Development: The Marshall Decision in Atlantic Canada
No full textIn recent decades, First Nations across Canada have used a variety of instruments to rebuild their economies and societies, not without a struggle but also with measurable success. These instruments include levers like certain provisions of the Indian Act related to taxation on reserve, the pursuit of specific and comprehensive land claims, Treaty Land Entitlement settlements that have provided an avenue for the creation of urban-based reserves and business development, and Aboriginal and treaty rights recognized by the Supreme Court. It is the latter that is the subject of this article, especially the two Marshall decisions issued by the Court in 1999, which recognized the treaty right of First Nations in the Maritime region to fish for a moderate livelihood.2 In this article, we will describe the decision, the reaction to it from various parties, ongoing flashpoints that have the potential to generate tension and conflict, and some possible paths forward
Institutional Explanations for the Persistence of Poverty on First Nations Reserves in Canada: A Review of the Native American Economic Development Literature
No full textThe institutions governing First Nations reserves in Canada are commonly cited as a key barrier to economic development. Despite these claims, few studies have empirically assessed the institutional arrangements governing reserves. Conversely, there is a much larger and more developed literature on Native American economic development and the institutions governing reservations. While there are many important differences between First Nations reserves and Native American reservations, there are several key similarities that allow for comparisons. First, the institutional arrangements governing land, specifically federal trusteeship over land, are broadly similar in both contexts. The restrictions on property, especially the prohibition on using reserve and reservation lands as collateral, also create important similarities in the availability of credit, mortgages, and other banking services. Finally, while Native American tribes generally have more sovereignty over their lands and economies, First Nations are increasingly reclaiming the right to manage their lands and economies with similar levels of autonomy. This review summarizes the Native American economic development literature in these three areas and identifies relevant considerations for First Nations in Canada. The article concludes with a discussion of future research priorities