What will it take to support Indigenous innovation?
Why It Matters
Canada’s Indigenous peoples continue to face systemic inequalities, and are unemployed at significantly higher rates than the rest of the population. When we talk about the work in the social impact sector, how can we strive for a more equitable future that acknowledges and values Indigenous innovation?
The future of work needs to look a whole lot different than the present of work for Indigenous people — because where we are today really doesn’t look so great. Too often conversations about the future of work focuses on Artificial Intelligence, automation, and machine learning (what’s the difference? I’m still not really sure) – ignoring both the present and the presence of Indigenous people.
In case you’ve been living under a rock: Indigenous people are unemployed at a significantly higher rate than our non-Indigenous friends, relatives, and insert-something-other-than-coworkers. In parts of the country, like Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, the differences in unemployment rates are huge. For example, in January 2019 in my home province of Saskatchewan,
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