As the founding CEO of the Indigenomics Institute, how do you define ‘Indigenomics’?
Indigenomics draws on the ancient principles that have supported Indigenous economies for thousands of years and works to implement them as modern business practices. Collectively, it is a response to the systemic exclusion of Indigenous peoples from the economic table over time and a platform from which we can work together to design economic reconciliation for Indigenous peoples.
The goal is to address the Indigenous socio-economic gap by moving away from a narrative of ‘happened to us’ and towards a ‘designed by us’ approach. Many Canadians still perceive Indigenous peoples as being on the cost side of the economic equation. But going forward we will be focused on creating ‘own source revenue’ — revenue that our nations raise by generating business income and collecting taxes and resource revenues.
This new paradigm facilitates the widespread acknowledgement of a new narrative: Indigenous peoples are economic powerhouses. With the right investment and growth, the Indigenous economy has the potential to exceed $100 billion.
You believe Indigenomics will help provide a sustainable pathway forward for the Canadian economy. How so?
Given the state of our environment, the path forward must include key elements of the Indigenous worldview. I am Nuu chah nulth from the west coast of Vancouver Island, and we have a concept, hishuk’ish tsawalk, meaning ‘everything is one and interconnected.’
There is growing recognition that Indigenous knowledge systems are critical to developing solutions to the climate crisis and achieving climate justice. In the realm of business, it is important to align decisions from this worldview. Our knowledge systems offer a foundation for adaptation and mitigation, Canada’s former Minister of Environment and Climate Change, a country cannot have a comprehensive economic plan without a comprehensive climate plan. It is here — at the intersection of Canada’s climate and economic planning — where vast opportunity lives.
