This report has been prepared by the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE), led by Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director. This work was conducted as part of the OECD’s Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme.
The project on local employment and skills strategies for Indigenous communities was coordinated by Jonathan Barr, Head of the Employment and Skills Unit within the Local Employment, Skills and Social Innovation (LESI) Division of CFE under the supervision of Sylvain Giguère, Head of Division.
The principal authors are Jonathan Barr and Lindsey Ricker (OECD). Charles Cirtwill and Dharmjot (DJ) Grewal from the Northern Policy Institute drafted sections of the report pertaining to Kiikenomaga Kikenjigewen Employment & Training Services and MAWIW Council. Beatriz Jambrina Canseco (OECD) provided valuable statistical and data analysis support.
Several OECD colleagues provided important feedback and advice on the development of this report, including Chris McDonald, CFE; Lorena Figueiredo, CFE; Rowan Phair, Directorate for Education and Skills (EDU); Andrew Barker, Economics Department (ECO); Glenda Quintini, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs (ELS); and Katharine Mullock, ELS. Special thanks are also extended to Théa Chubinidze for formatting the report, Cicely Dupont-Nivore for preparing the report for publication and to Pauline Arbel for preparing the cover page.
Special thanks should be given to local stakeholders and Indigenous groups in each of the case study areas that participated in meetings and provided documentation and comments critical to the production of the report. In particular, the OECD is grateful to Community Futures Treaty Seven, the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resources Development Inc. (CAHRD), MAWIW Council and Kiikenomaga Kikenjigewen Employment and Training Services (KKETS) for their insights and contributions to this project. Additional thanks should be given to Ali Jalayer from the Department of Jobs and Small Business, Australia who participated in the OECD study visit to foster knowledge sharing between countries.
The OECD is also grateful to those individuals who participated in a workshop on Empowering Indigenous Communities through Stronger Local Economic and Employment Development in Calgary, Alberta as part of ECONOUS 2017, the annual event organised by Community Economic Development Network.
Lastly, appreciation should also be given to federal officials in Canada who contributed to this report and participated in the OECD study visits: Saloie Moreno, Claude Bazinet, Jean François LaRue; Stefan Bergeron, Tony Haddad, Robert Langlois, of Employment and Social Development Canada.