Ceremony marks new $16M partnership to bolster Indigenous entrepreneurship and business education across Canada

A new initiative to bolster Indigenous-led entrepreneurship and business education across Canada will benefit from a $16-million funding boost, partner officials announced Sunday.

The BHP Foundation has committed about $16 million to support the initiative — a partnership with Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and three Indigenous education institutions: Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and Six Nations Polytechnic. Partner officials were set to gather late Sunday afternoon for a signing ceremony to mark the initiative, as part of the National Indigenous Education Symposium being held in Calgary.

Colleges and Institutes Canada, a non-profit that advocates for Canada’s largest post-secondary education network, said the program aims to support more personalized and flexible learning to foster greater Indigenous success within both Indigenous and non-Indigenous institutes.

“It is very historic,” CICan CEO Pari Johnston said of the initiative, her organization’s first Indigenous-led program. “I feel very proud, very humbled and committed to walking together with our partners on the journey ahead.

“It is a tremendous opportunity for Indigenous learners and communities, our members and really for all Canadians,” Johnston added. “We’re going to be experiencing new approaches and see business entrepreneurship and economic research in a new lens with grounding and values taught to us by First Nations, Inuit and Metis experts.”

Related

The initiative was created alongside partner institutions to strengthen culturally relevant entrepreneurship, business and accounting education based on Indigenous ways of knowing and being, Johnston said.

Partners will work to develop Indigenous approaches to entrepreneurship and mentorship training, support Indigenous learners interested in accounting and financial training, while solving problems identified by First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities.

“We want to advance economic reconciliation by strengthening economic and social outcomes,” Johnston said. “Ultimately, this will nurture Canada’s talent pool, helping businesses and communities to connect and opening doors for greater diversity.”

Initiative ‘Indigenous-led’

In a statement, BHP Foundation CEO Kristen Ray said the initiative’s aim to transform support for Indigenous entrepreneurs and learners is “closely aligned with the BHP Foundation’s commitment to advancing economic equity for Indigenous Peoples.”

“We recognize that for (the initiative) to truly resonate, it must be Indigenous-led and grounded in Indigenous worldviews,” Ray said. “We are deeply grateful to the Indigenous Institutes for their leadership and cultural knowledge in guiding this journey.”

Dr. John Chenoweth, president and CEO of the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in British Columbia, said the partnership will “strengthen Indigenous-led education and entrepreneurship grounded in our cultures, values, and worldviews.”

“This collaboration supports NVIT’s purpose of improving the quality of life for Indigenous Peoples by creating meaningful pathways for learners and communities to lead, innovate, and shape their own economic futures,” Chenoweth said in a statement.

Rooted in Indigenous leadership and knowledge, the partnership will open “new pathways for Indigenous entrepreneurs, researchers and business students to learn, grow, and give back to their communities,” said Riel Bellegarde, president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology, in a statement.

“It builds on our long-standing commitment to advancing Indigenous-led education and creating opportunities that reflect the priorities of our communities,” Bellegarde added. “We are proud to collaborate with our partner institutions . . . to make a meaningful and lasting impact.”