INSIGHT T  he Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) recognizes that Aboriginal businesses are underrep- resented in the supply chains of corporate business and government in Canada. Hopefully, that’s about to change. Through its new Procurement Champions initiative, CCAB is looking to strengthen connections between the corporate sector, government and Aboriginal businesses. The goal is to allow Canada to discover the value that progressive Aboriginal procurement adds to companies and Indigenous communities. Economic reconciliation, says CCAB president and CEO J.P. Gladu, is about Aboriginal communities managing wealth by leveraging their assets (including people, innovation and land) through businesses, and the business community ensuring access to procurement. Mel Benson, an international consultant and long-time champion of Aboriginal procurement, shares this view. As part of the Suncor Energy Board of Directors, Benson stands at the forefront of change in this area. In recognition of his tremendous work, CCAB awarded him its 2015 Aboriginal Business Hall of Fame (ABHF) Lifetime Achievement Award. Benson was also honoured with a Red Cross Service Award, an Alberta Aboriginal Recognition Award and a Business Development Award. In addition, he received the Alberta Justice Crime Prevention Recognition Award and was recognized for his contributions to the community by the Government of the Northwest Territories. A ‘MUST’ Aboriginal Business Report recently sat down with Benson to hear his thoughts on Aboriginal procurement. Aboriginal people must be part and parcel, i.e., owners of and participants in, the Canadian economy, he said, because Aboriginal procurement is a ‘must,’ not a choice. Procurement provides sourcing opportunities for Aboriginal people, and it is Benson’s belief that these opportunities will create great results. They will get Aboriginal people to the starting line so they can show the broader business community that they can skillfully compete with other suppliers. Benson applauds CCAB’s affirmation that “Aboriginal people will participate.” Together, we can make this a better place for Aboriginal people and all Canadians, he said. It is high time because Aboriginal businesses are still woefully underrepresented in the supply chains of most corporations and governments. The system was PUSHING FOR CHANGE LONG-TIME ABORIGINAL BUSINESS LEADER, MEL BENSON, ON WHY ABORIGINAL PROCUREMENT IS A ‘MUST’ IN TODAY’S MARKETPLACE BY LEYLA RAZEGHI Mel E. Bensen, Mel E Benson Management Inc. 18 A CCAB PUBLICATION 2018