New Indigenous investment group established to strengthen Canada’s food production and value-added agriculture opportunity

One of the most significant steps in advancing economic reconciliation and Canada’s opportunity to Make It Here is ensuring Canada’s Indigenous communities have an active voice in how new investment flows into the sector. Increased investment is an opportunity to bring new economic prosperity to the country, as well as new jobs and other opportunities to local communities—and Indigenous investors are taking note.

Today, Protein Industries Canada is launching a new project with Indigenous communities across the Prairies aimed at addressing the capital gap in Canada’s food production and value-added agriculture sector. The work brings together Alexander First Nation, Saskatoon Tribal Council, Whitecap Dakota First Nation and File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, who will combine knowledge and resources to set up an Indigenous investment group. The group will establish a Fund focused on investing directly into Canadian food and ingredient processors.

“Canada has the potential to make more food and ingredients here at home, but doing so requires a significant increase in capital investment,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Tyler Groeneveld said. “The establishment of the Indigenous investment fund is an opportunity to support our food production and value-added agriculture sector. It’s a chance for investors to come together with the wider sector and prove that Canada has the potential to Make It Here—strengthening our domestic food supply chain and building food sovereignty.”

As demand for made-in-Canada food and ingredients grows, this Fund will help the food production and value-added agriculture sector develop and commercialize innovative new products. Its focus on involving Indigenous communities, in particular, will also help to expand access to traditional knowledge and practices, access to land and resources, meaningful employment, cultural diversity and inclusivity, and a commitment to reconciliation and social responsibility.

“Our First Nation leadership believes this investment represents a tremendous opportunity for Indigenous peoples to become a part of Canada’s long-term narrative of our peoples’ food sovereignty, food security and economic returns,” said Chief George Arcand, Chief of Alexander First Nation. “The foundation of our investments is ensuring we have a seat at the Board Table and a meaningful opportunity to share in the economic growth of Canada while providing opportunity to better utilize our existing lands and new jobs for our people.”

With the investment group continuing their work after the project’s end, the Fund will provide benefits reaching further than the companies it invests in. The investments into facility development and product development will strengthen local communities, while providing a boost to Canada’s economy as we increase our ability to Make It Here.

Protein Industries Canada’s investment into the project will serve as seed capital to advance the project’s goal of engaging with member Nations, supporting Fund Governance development and formalization, and paving the way for new Nations to participate. The Fund will continue to grow as it expands beyond the project’s lifetime.