Sharing Canadas Prosperity A Hand Up, Not A Handout

1
Sharing Canadas Prosperity A Hand Up, Not A
Handout

• Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
• March 2007

2

• While some aboriginal communities have prospered,
  many remain economically disadvantaged despite
  advantages of resources and location.

3

• The senate committee on Aboriginal peoples
  believes that assisting Aboriginal communities
  build their economies and position themselves to
  take advantage of economic opportunities is vital
  to addressing existing social challengesit is
  impossible to imagine how social conditions will
  improve without meaningful support for the
  development of an adequate economic base and
  increased participation in mainstream local and
  regional economies

4

• Economic development is seen by many Aboriginal
  people as the means by which they can resolve
  their own socio-economic problems and ultimately,
  have some measure of control over their own
  futures

5

• Aboriginal Canadians want to benefit from
  economic development on their own terms. Although
  there is great diversity among Aboriginal people
  and communities, generally speaking Aboriginal
  Canadians tend toward a stronger sense of
  collective responsibility and see the economy and
  social life as being intricately tied together

6

• Economic progress translates into social
  progress a society where all citizens benefit
  and no one is left behind Deputy Minister Al
  Hinton, Saskatchewan Northern Affairs

7
Most salient barriers to economic development

• i. Access to Capital
• For
• starting, expanding or acquiring a new business
• Infrastructure improvements
• Participation in large scale resource development
  projects

8
ii. Legislative and Regulatory Barriers

• Legislative and Regulatory Barriers imposed by
  the Indian Act restrict First Nations
  communities from taking advantage of economic
  opportunities.
• For instance, provisions in the act block or
  limit development by making it difficult to
  secure loans using land and other assets as
  collateral.

9
iii. Limited access to lands and resources

• A barrier to wealth generation
• What is needed?
• Settlement of land claims and treaty land
  entitlement agreements.
• Negotiation of resource revenue sharing
  arrangements with traditional territories.

10
iv. Lack of Human Capital

• Human capital is vital to take advantage of
  employment opportunities and if business
  development opportunities.
• What is needed to close the education gap?
• Education
• Training
• Technical skills development

11
v. Infrastructure Deficits

• These include
• Substandard telecommunications infrastructure
• Poor roads
• Unsafe water supply

12

• These infrastructure deficits create barriers to
  attracting investment to First Nations and Inuit
  communities and are thus barriers to economic
  development.
• What is needed?
• Revenue for infrastructure investment (Federal
  government does not support infrastructural
  improvements targeted to commercial
  developments).

13
vi. Lack of Governance Capacity

• Good decision making requires capable governance
  and governing institutions.

14

• What is needed?
• Decision-making authority, especially over land
  and resources
• Institution building
• Acquire administrative capacity to identify
  economic opportunities
• form partnerships
• negotiate agreements
• design and operate business ventures
• design and operate institutions that support
  economic development

15
vii. Fragmented Federal Approach to Economic
Development and Limited Funding

• Approximately 11 federal departments and agencies
  deliver 27 different economic development
  programs targeted at Aboriginal people.

16

• Result
• lack of coordination
• duplication among programs
• lost economic opportunities due to bureaucratic
  delays and fragmentation of program delivery