Aboriginals look to cash in on Irving shipbuilding deal – CBC
May 20, 2014
Irving has a $25 billion, 25-year federal contract to build Canadian combat ships in Halifax
The federal, provincial and First Nations of New Brunswick do not want local aboriginal people to miss the boat on jobs associated with the Irving Shipbuilding contract.
Many New Brunswick companies are expected to bid on various parts of the $25-billion contract that was awarded in 2011. Halifax’s Irving Shipbuilding will be constructing 21 Canadian combat ships as a part of the massive deal.
Mark Taylor is the communications manager with JEDI, the Joint Economic Development Initiative. It’s a group made up of representatives from the federal, provincial and First Nations governments as well as industry.
Taylor says the group is looking for ways to make sure aboriginal people get a crack at some of the $25-billion business.
“It’s a lot of money, it’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of opportunity for many people and we want to make sure that the aboriginal people of New Brunswick had as much opportunity as everybody else to benefit,” says Taylor.
