Building Better Together: Exploring Indigenous Economic Development in New Brunswick Report

Abstract

With support from an Indigenous Research Capacity and Reconciliation Connection Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), this project brought together 130 front-line representatives from Indigenous communities, organizations, and businesses with those from academia and relevant provincial and federal departments for a Mawi’omi (meaning ‘gathering’ in Mi’kmaq) in May 2019 to explore the question, "What does Indigenous economic development mean to Indigenous Peoples living in New Brunswick?", and attempts to identify obstacles, opportunities, and priorities to achieve these development goals. Important factors identified as key to successful community development are self-sufficiency, self-sustainability, and long-term stability. Key priorities for economic development were the creation of employment opportunities and the development of workforce skills, as well as the development of lands and infrastructure for economic development, while key opportunities were the cannabis, tourism, natural resources, and renewable resource sector. In addition, key challenges to the pursuit of Indigenous economic development are identified: financing, human resources, and social issues. Also highlighted was the need for more meaningful and respectful relations with government and the private sector. The research concluded with several recommendations: to SSHRC, continue to offer annual grants specifically for Indigenous communities and organizations, to support the creation of diverse research products relating to Indigenous economic development, and to create or support a platform to share information and resources relating to Indigenous economic development; to the federal government, increase funding for economic development for First Nation communities and Indigenous organizations; to the provincial government, create a task force to increase the inclusion of First Nation communities and Indigenous Peoples in the tourism, cannabis, natural resource, and renewable energy sectors; and to First Nation Communities in New Brunswick: develop strategies to support self-determination, self-sufficiency, and economic development.