Economic Development

"Aboriginal people share a common commitment to address the economic challenges facing their communities. Though not widely recognized, many communities throughout the country are beginning to experience economic success in areas ranging from small business development to larger scale commercial projects. Aboriginal people can, and have, succeeded on “their own terms”, adapting mainstream business practices to their own strongly held values and cultures. For complex reasons, others continue to struggle.

"The objective of the Think Tank on Wealth Creation was to examine how wealth is created and how the journey of economic prosperity could be reached in a free market economy on reserve. What conditions and barriers exist that prevent the creation of wealth and prosperity? Inversely, what conditions must exist to build a meaningful and sustainable economy, especially absent from the creation and reliance on characteristics of dependency.

"""Aboriginal tourism is a form of community development that can benefit First Nations in various dimensions. Given that many Aboriginal communities have a distinct

"The focus of this discussion is the joint venture that can allow First Nations to enter the resource development and service industries. It can provide incomes, as ell as revenue that can be used to support social spending. Potential benefits of joint ventures include access to the capital, technology, expertise, market access and other benefits offered by a corporate partner."

"The ways in which urban municipalities understand and work within the context of Aboriginal community aspirations and needs will affect the quality of future urban development, in physical, social, economic and cultural sectors. Planning is central to shaping the institutional arrangements to help actualise Aboriginal community aspirations.

"Aboriginal people are seeking to regain control over their traditional lands and resources. Among other things, they expect these land and resources to form the foundation upon which they can rebuild their economies and communities. Aboriginal people want to pursue this development on their own terms. However many realise that success requires effective competition in the global economy and this in turn requires capacity beyond land and resource. One method of acquiring the needed capacity is through alliances with non-aboriginal corporations.

"Economic development is believed critical to improving quality of life in the Innu communities of Sheshatshiu and Utshimassit, where substance abuse, low literacy rates, and living conditions far below national standards persist. The establishment of Innu Development Limited Partnership in 1998 was a decisive move by the Innu to generate business ventures. An impact benefit agreement associated with the Voisey Bay mine project and compensation from a land claim settlement will result in needed resources and business opportunities for the Innu.

"Throughout the middle decades of the 20th Century Indigenous people were the target of efforts to assist in economic development. In large part these externally developed, modernisation based efforts failed. In response, a second wave of Indigenous development has emerged; one in which Indigenous peoples are striving to rebuild their ‘nations’ and improve their lot through economic development ‘on their own terms’. Key to this approach is the pursuit by Indigenous people of the recognition of their rights to their traditional lands and resources.

"A new approach to economic development is emerging among the First Nations in Canada. This approach emphasizes the creation of profitable businesses competing in the global economy. These businesses are expected to help First Nations achieve their broader objectives that include: (i) greater control of activities on their traditional lands, (ii) self-determination, and (iii) an end to dependency through economic self-sufficiency.

Article describes how economic participation must be on their own terms and for their own purposes. Also, traditional lands, history, culture and values all play a critical role in economic development. In order to attempt to compete in the global economy on their own terms, Indigenous people are using all types of partnerships, both among themselves and with non-Indigenous enterprises. A case study of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band is used as they are recognized as one of the leaders in economic development in Canada.