Feds looking to rebuild economy with female Indigenous entrepreneurs in Budget 2021
Posted May 1, 2021 10:11 am.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) — To help close the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services met with a small roundtable of female Indigenous entrepreneurs this week to discuss the broad challenges Indigenous women face in establishing and maintaining businesses and investments.
With Canada’s Feds building into the 2021 budget, a focus demographic to boost the local economy is Indigenous businesses, specifically, companies run by Indigenous women.
Pam Damoff, Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Indigenous Services, says Indigenous communities are often in rural and remote areas, and the success of Indigenous-led businesses, including tourism businesses, is critically important to local jobs and economies.
“These women told me that they don’t have the luxury of starting a business and failing. We want to make sure our economic recovery is comprehensive and inclusive,” Damoff said in a statement.
The feds have proposed to invest $22-million over three years to support Female Indigenous Business initiatives to launch female-led businesses in Indigenous communities across Canada.
Currently, 36 per cent of Indigenous-led businesses are owned by women.
Damoff says the goal is to make Canada’s economic recovery more inclusive.
“We want to make sure our economic recovery is comprehensive and inclusive. We are committed to working with partners to ensure that no one is left behind and that Indigenous women entrepreneurs are given the support and tools they need to build their businesses and flourish as part of COVID-19 economic recovery.”
To support Indigenous people through the Budget 2021, feds will be investing over $18-billion to support healthy, safe, and prosperous Indigenous communities; to advance reconciliation.
