Assessment and recommendations

The purpose of this study is to provide recommendations to the Canadian Government about how to improve economic development outcomes for Indigenous peoples at a local and regional level. There is no simple way to summarise the colonial history and contemporary economic circumstances of Indigenous peoples in Canada. ‘Indigenous people’ is a heterogeneous term that refers to the original nations and peoples of what is now called Canada. In Canada today, the Constitution Act (1982) recognizes three groups: Indians (now referred to as First Nations), Inuit and Métis. This report mainly engages with economic development issues for First Nations and Inuit. Further work is needed to address the particular circumstances of the Métis. In past decades, the Canadian Government has made significant progress in recognising the right of Indigenous peoples to self-determination. Treaty rights were affirmed in the Constitution Act (1982) and the Canadian Government has committed to a nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples. This study, and its recommendations, are within the framework of this overarching commitment.