3 minute read
From the CEO
Walking the talk is always the toughest part. Good words. Good intentions. They help change the conversation but they don’t usually change much else. It’s no mistake that Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued “Calls to Action” versus “Ideas to Discuss.” For many Indigenous people in our community, the shift to action can’t come soon enough.
Our Chamber has embarked on a path to promote Indigenous economic reconciliation and the inclusion of Indigenous people in the economic life of our city. We are not alone. Chambers across Canada have embraced their roles as leaders and conveners on this front. Locally, many in our business community are responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and working to create real opportunities for Indigenous people to participate in the economy as workers, investors, business owners and entrepreneurs.
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The case for Indigenous economic inclusion has never been stronger.
According to the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, the opportunity cost of “doing nothing” will erode Canada’s growth and competitiveness into the future. Highlighting the economic gap between Canada’s Indigenous and nonIndigenous population in terms of income, education and training, it has concluded: “If all Indigenous people had employment, income, education and poverty rates comparable to that of all Canadians, Canada’s GDP would grow by 1.5% or $27.7 billion.”
The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) has suggested the cost of inaction is even higher, closer to $100 billion in lost GDP growth and expansion.
Notwithstanding the hard cost of failing to close these gaps, there is growing recognition that we have a moral responsibility to advance economic reconciliation in a real and meaningful way. Historically, the economic
Time for ReconciliACTION
playing field has been one-sided, working against the participation of Indigenous people. Systems and structures that were designed to exclude Indigenous people from employment, investment and business opportunities are now being re-examined with a renewed focus on inclusion, fairness and shared success. Today, businesses of all kinds are taking stock of their inner workings, and their external relationships, and reflecting on how they can do better.
The tide is slowly turning.
Over the last 10 years, the number of Indigenous businesses in Saskatchewan has grown rapidly, and shows no signs of slowing. In the Saskatoon region alone, the number of Indigenous business has almost doubled over the past decade, to 285 from 160. Spending by Indigenous businesses in our city has nearly tripled in the last 10 years, to $608 million in 2021 from $206 million in 2011.
Many Saskatoon businesses are looking to hire, partner, procure and invest to promote Indigenous participation in our economy. There are many more that simply don’t know where to start.
In this issue, you’ll meet business leaders and companies that have taken those first critical steps and making changes for the better. Draw on their examples, and lessons learned, to explore how your business can change, grow and contribute to economic Reconciliation in our community.
If you need a little more direction, look no further than our “Reconciliation Roadmap for Small Business” launched earlier this year and available at www.youand92.ca.
The Roadmap was developed by the Chamber’s “Call to 92 Committee” and so-named to focus on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #92 which calls upon the corporate sector to commit to meaningful consultation, access to jobs, training and Jason Aebig, CEO Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce
education opportunities for Indigenous Canadians in the name of economic reconciliation.
It was created to support the efforts of small enterprises that may not have the knowledge or capacity to build strategies for their business. Guidance is mapped out in clear, actionable steps that any small business owner or operator can take to answer Call to Action #92 with links to partners and resources to help along the way.
Together, we can put Saskatoon on a path to prosperity where everyone can participate in our economy, provide for their families, build our community, and realize their potential.
It starts with each one of us – and the courage to take a first step.
