b'CCAB RESEARCHWHAT HAVE WE LEARNED VISUAL IMPACT Indigenous-Owned ExportingRESEARCH?Small and Medium EnterprisesSO FAR FROM THIS NEW A Joint Publication by the Office of the Chief Economist of Global Affairs Canada and the in CanadaPreliminary results show thatCanadian Council for Aboriginal BusinessIndigenous businesses are slightly The art on the front of the groundbreaking 2019less likely to export than the average paper by Global Affairs Canada and CCAB speaks tonon-Indigenous business. The share Audrey Ann Blanger Baur, Lead Author. Economist how Indigenous trade and export started. It shows aof Indigenous-owned exporting Britney Sault, Strategic Advisor, Project Manager Office of the Chief EconomistCanadian Council for Aboriginal Businescanoe that is facing the horizon.SMEs is also significantly lower than what we observed in the 2019This imagery is representative of an innovation developedjoint publication.by Indigenous peoples throughout the country. Along with the Umiak used by the Inuit, it was made when waterways were the mainA few explanations have been thoroughfare to trade and was instrumental to building Indigenous-to-Indigenous trade networks.proposed for this contrast. First of all, the question in the most recent This depiction gets right to the heart of the work. Since time immemorial,survey was asked differently, which Turtle Island has always been a land of trading nations. implies a slightly different definition of exporting. Secondly, we talked to a much wider range of Indigenous business owners, which should make our sample more representative. About 24.4 per cent of IndigenousWHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS OF In 2020, a large number of indig-SMEs export.THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM?Since the winter of 2021, CCAB andenous SMEs that exported were majority-owned by women, but More than one in five Indigenousthe Office of the Chief Economist most exporting businesses were SMEs export to the U.S., and moreat Global Affairs Canada havestill owned by men. Yet the than one in seven sell to non-U.S.collaborated on a new multi-yeardisparity between the majority overseas markets.project that will hear perspectivesmen- and women-owned firms is that havent always been takenless pronounced for Indigenous Indigenous business leaders withinto account during the policy-exporters compared to other more education have a highermaking process. This systematic andCanadian SMEs. export potential.comprehensive approach will amplify the voices of Indigenous businessesBreaking Barriers: A DecadeIndigenous SME owners with at in their communities. of Indigenous Womensleast five years of management Entrepreneurship in Canada is a experience are more likely There are two parts to this project.free 2020 report that discussesto export.It started with CCABs largest-everIndigenous womens entrepre-survey of businesses owned by Firstneurship in Canada and is avail-Indigenous SMEs who do exportNations, Inuit and Mtis people. Weable to read on ccab.com/research.report greater growth than non- received 2,603 responses from everyThere, we identify some of the exporting Indigenous SMEs. province and territory, which wasimpediments to their entrepre-more than double the sample size ofneurial success, consider the The use of social media tools by theour previous research. This alloweddistinctive approaches to innova-tion of Indigenous women entre-owners of Indigenous SMEs seemsus to update our understanding ofpreneurs, and make recommenda-to be one of the main factors thatIndigenous business characteris- tions for a more inclusive ecosystem helps them expand internationally. tics and provided a rare window intoto assist Indigenous women in their their exporting operations. After that,economic pursuits.As with any research, these findings raisewe worked with economic develop-fresh questions and the desire to learnment leaders in First Nation commu- HOW DID THIS RESEARCH more about these exporters. Who theynities to talk to local business ownersCOME ABOUT?are? Why did they began exporting?to get a better picture of the Global Affairs Canada funded this impor-Where are their key clients and customerslocal economy. tant work and provided analytical support. located? Did they face any unique chal- Environics Research Group, a leading lenges? These are questions that needThe research data garnered will marketing and public opinion research firm, to be answered. We believe this willresult in two reports: the first on thehelped find and survey the Indigenous lead to a better understanding of thecharacteristics of Indigenous-ownedbusinesses. The Bank of Canada offered resources and interventions Indigenousexporters, and the second on thestrategic advice throughout the project, businesses need to recover from thebarriers to export growth. Thesewhile Indigenous-owned consulting firm COVID-19pandemicandexpandreports are expected to be availableand CCAB member Big River Analytics their markets. in early 2023. helped expand capacity. 74A CCAB PUBLICATION2023'