ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MISSION STATEMENT

“The Economic Development department provides information, advocacy and technical expertise to empower Anishinabek Nation communities and entrepreneurs for economic self-governance, sustainability, wealth creation and financial independence.”

ECONOMIC BLUEPRINT

In June 2006, the Anishinabek Nation Chiefs in Assembly passed resolution #2006/20, which called for the creation of an Anishinabek Nation Economic Strategy.  The development of an Anishinabek Nation-wide strategy was described as a means to capitalize on two key opportunities: the Chiefs expressed desire to see economic development as a priority; and a federal and provincial environment supportive of the development of a regional-based strategic frameworks that would facilitate economic opportunities and partnerships.  As a result the Anishinabek Nation Chiefs in Assembly directed that an Anishinabek Nation Economic Development Strategy be developed to support the Anishinabek Nation, community and individual participation in local, regional, national and international economies to generate revenue, support the creation and expansion of businesses, and to create jobs.

In 2018, the Grand Council Chief identified in his 3-year action plan the need for a revitalized Economic Blueprint. The initial stage involved acquiring funding the complete the work, which began at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through many rounds of community engagement, impacted by our inability to travel, the Economic Development Department, with the support of the Economic Development Officer (EDO) Working Group (EDOWG), updated the 2008 Economic Blueprint to reflect the drastically different socioeconomic reality. The resulting document supports the 2008 Blueprint recommendations by simplifying the actions that EDOs should carry out and clarifying roles and responsibilities in attaining economic prosperity.

Socioeconomic Barriers

The project team worked with AN member First Nations’ EDOs largely through engagements with the EDO Working Group (EDOWG) to inform the 2022 Report and to update the original 2008 Blueprint for this Report. One of the main recommendations from the 2022 Report was that a decolonizing Blueprint framework is needed for the updated 2024 Report. Specifically, they shared a desire to use a community-based approach that is more flexible, less prescriptive, and that can be adapted to the unique contexts of individual AN member First Nations. In response, the EDOWG co-developed a new Blueprint and Roadmap framework that reflects this approach, but also retains the elements of the First Nations Progression Model and recommendations from the original 2008 Blueprint that were deemed relevant by the EDOWG.

2024 Economic Blueprint Framework

The updated Blueprint framework is based on the principles of First Nations’ sovereignty, nation-building, and reclamation. It includes three levels of support (Community-Driven Action, First Nation Collaboration, and Anishinabek Nation Sustenance), and four cross-cutting strategic priorities (People, Land, Infrastructure, and Finance). This framework clarifies the outcomes that the Anishinabek Nation, regional groups, and EDOs should strive toward.

EDO Roadmap

The Roadmap has been designed to serve as a companion document to the Economic Blueprint, bridging the gaps between the 2008 recommendations and the real experiences of First Nations EDOs. While the Blueprint serves as a strategic plan for the AN Economic Secretariat to support and advocate for AN member First Nations in economic development, the Roadmap is intended to support AN First Nations EDOs, via the EDOWG, in implementing this strategy at the community level.

There are four main goals of the Roadmap that align with the Blueprint:

• Conduct research to understand AN member First Nations’ needs, capacities, and goals; enhance our capacity; and make evidence-based decisions that promote community-level economic well-being

• Provide training and templates to AN member First Nations to enhance capacity for our community economic well-being

• Support and facilitate AN member First Nations’ engagement in Nation-to-Nation economic initiatives with one another to address systemic barriers to rebuild a healthy regional Anishinabek economy

• Optimize opportunities for AN member First Nations to reclaim economic sovereignty based on Nation-to-Nation relationships with the federal government

Under each goal, there are:

• Several pathways that represent implementation options for EDOs to achieve the associated goal

• Anticipated outcomes associated with achieving the goal, measures to monitor and assess progress, and potential supports needed to achieve the goal

How can I learn more about the Anishinabek Nation’s Economic Blueprint?

Click on the link below to download a PDF version of the Economic Blueprint:

Anishinabek Nation Economic Blueprint

How can I help implement the Economic Blueprint in my own community?

The first step is to read and learn more about the specifics within the Economic Blueprint by reading through the strategy in full.  From there, community members are encouraged to approach their leadership and ask how the Blueprint is being implemented within their own community and how community members can participate in their community’s developing economy.