Thank you very much, sir, for that question.
I would be remiss if I didn't note that that objective did come through a very detailed research report that the CCAB published last year, called “Industry and Inclusion”. That report essentially set the benchmark for the 5% in recommendations, and for 1% increases per annum, which found its way into the mandate letter of Minister Anand. I just want to thank my colleagues on the research team for that important piece.
What we found, especially during the course of the pandemic, is the incredible importance of procurement to ensure that indigenous communities are well serviced. We're finding that it's spotty at best, if I may be so bold. I do find that there could be significant improvements, in terms of the government spend from indigenous businesses. I appreciate that you're seeking documentation. What we have found, in information provided to us by PSPC, is that it is less than 5%.
I think this is an important facet of indigenous economic recovery. We need to ensure that the government continues to make progress towards its 5% target and continues to include indigenous organizations such as the CCAB, among others, in the conversation about how the Government of Canada can successfully obtain that 5% objective.
As I said earlier, it's about building indigenous capacity. That also includes how indigenous organizations can contribute to the policy conversation, because at the end of the day, you need to have pragmatic policy that's informed by the realities on the ground and achievable for indigenous businesses.
I would like to make a note that the CCAB, among other national indigenous organizations, has worked quite closely with indigenous organizations in Australia, principally Supply Nation, which has been quite successful in the implementation of indigenous procurement policy in that country. Back in 2014, the government of the Commonwealth of Australia was saying that this is an overly ambitious target and they were not sure how they were going to meet it. Then they met it in short order, and now they're actually exceeding their targets. I think that's—