Shift to ‘buy Indigenous’ could add as much as $1 billion to First Nations’ economy, report finds – The Star
May 8, 2024
The report notes that this is money that could be uses to invest in education, health care, food and beverage stores, and other social infrastructure.
First Nations in Canada could add as much as $1 billion to their collective economy if they prioritized buying materials and supplies from within their own communities, according to a recent report.
Of the more than 630 First Nations communities across the country, the 396 surveyed spent $504 million on materials and supplies for their businesses in 2023. However, the March report by eSupply Canada, a First Nation-owned business and distributor of office, janitorial and industrial supplies, found most of the money went to non-Indigenous suppliers, causing economic leakages.
The severity of the leakages — defined as income within a local economy that flows out of the region — ranges from 25 per cent in West Nipissing to 77.5 per cent among First Nations in Saskatchewan. However, many communities lose up to 90 cents of every dollar.
