Let me begin by sharing with you the philosophy of “nothing about us without us”.
How do I think an indigenous-led institute would help indigenous businesses access procurement opportunities from the federal, provincial and corporate organizations? An indigenous-led organization would have a sound knowledge of the landscape of indigenous economic reconciliation. It would have a sound understanding of the definition of indigenous wealth. It is indigenous businesses that hire indigenous people. This is an anecdotal truth that we see across our communities.
We need to design our own institutions that are responsive to the unique realities that exist in Inuit, Métis and first nation communities, both on and off reserve. There is not a one-size-fits-all or a pan-indigenous approach. We have three different jurisdictional groups. We have different laws in place, as you have just mentioned with the Indian Act, applying to status Indians on reserve. There is a mishmash of regulations that are hindering our progress.
We need our own people leading our own institutions to help drive indigenous economic reconciliation.
Thank you.