First Nation

"The fishers living in Alert Bay and Ahousaht provided me with many details about how the distribution and abundance of various species had changed at and around salmon farming sites. I wanted to know how the Ahousaht's and Namgis' fishing activities had been altered by the presence of fish farms. However, the people I spoke to did not encourage questions concerning the fish farms as much as they did questions having to do with fish as food.

"Training the Excluded for Work is an important contribution to debates about the importance and viability of job training policies and programmes that are directed to those who are "excluded" in the Canadian labour market. It is also timely insofar as job training, in contrast to post-secondary education policy, remains somewhat under examined in Canada. This is particularly ironic, as job training has emerged as a key issue for policy makers, industry, workers and activists.

"Since the early 1970s, Aboriginal communities, policy analysts, and researchers have constructed “urban Aboriginal economic development” as both a domain of strategic intervention and a field of tactical contestation. An integral part of this project has been the creation of a body of academic knowledge about urban Aboriginal peoples and their relationship to the economy.

"This case study uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine Inuit and First Nations perspectives and initiatives to foster sustainable entrepreneurship and economic development related to the forthcoming Mackenzie Gas Pipeline in Canada's Northwest Territories. The 1,220-kilometer pipeline will connect the Mackenzie Delta to the Alberta Oil Sands and North American markets. These findings will be of interest to business, government and Indigenous leaders involved in resource development.

"This strategic plan was developed with the view to establish broad long-term priorities relating to Aboriginal economic development which will guide the work and activities of the NAEDB and its Secretariat over the three year period (2012-15). These priorities will be linked to relevant objectives which will assist the federal government’s work to address the gaps between First Nation, Inuit and Métis, and non-Aboriginal Canadians.
For 2012-15, the NAEDB has identified the following long-term priorities:
1. Addressing Barriers to Aboriginal Economic Development

"The Aboriginal Economic Benchmarking Report is the first comprehensive document of its kind to assemble indicators and establish benchmarks to measure the social and economic well-being of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. It focuses on the key indicators and measures that best align with the Federal Framework for Aboriginal Economic Development.The Benchmarking Report project was developed by the NAEDB over a four year period beginning in 2008-09. It synthesizes a substantial body of research and analysis undertaken at the direction of the NAEDB."

"Canadian Aboriginal women share this global experience of discrimination and violations of their fundamental rights, as evidenced by the high levels of violence against Aboriginal women, inadequate housing and income, and the low levels of employment, education, entrepreneurship and overall economic advancement. They rely more heavily on social assistance and are more likely to head up a single parent family than their male counterparts. Aboriginal women face socio- economic challenges unlike those faced by any other woman in the country."

If you are a member of a First Nations community (including First Nations, Innu/Deny, and Metis) and are interested in attending NSCC, you should contact Admissions for information on programs offered and application deadlines. Admissions will also provide details about possible eligibility for designated seats for those who self-identify as members of these groups.

It is a vast understatement to say that the current state of social and economic development within Aboriginal and First Nation communities is far from satisfactory. A recent study1 of the Aboriginal economic gap in Saskatchewan, for example, demonstrated that, compared to the non-Aboriginal community, Aboriginal people experience higher poverty rates, lower education levels, and chronic unemployment.

This paper is part of a larger research study on the Aboriginal co-operative movement (A Reporton Aboriginal Co-operatives in Canada: Current Situation and Potential for Growth). The study was initiated by the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) and le Conseil Canadian de la coopération (CCC). The objective of the study was to build knowledge and awareness about the current state and contributions of Aboriginal co-operatives to regional and community development. The present paper has been developed as a background paper for the complete study.