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Celebrating Indigenous Peoples in Agrifood and Addressing Reconciliatory Actions

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We are committed to promoting Indigenous inclusion and uplifting Indigenous voices in Canada’s agrifood sector.

For National Indigenous History Month and to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, we encourage our members to start or continue their journey towards the reconciliation of Indigenous peoples this month and onward.

By working with Indigenous partners in the agrifood sector, Protein Industries Canada affirms its commitment and responsibility in improving the relationships between Indigenous peoples, and our understanding of their culture and the unceded land of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis in which we call home and from which we source ingredients.

Truth and reconciliation in agrifood

We recently hosted a webinar with Farm Credit Canada's (FCC) Indigenous Relations Director Shaun Soonias, who spoke on Canada's first farmers and the country's agrifood sector from an Indigenous perspective. He also outlined the reconciliatory actions FCC has taken and their future plans for Indigenous peoples in the sector.

In case you missed the webinar, we have a recording you can view.

Watch Webinar

Engaging Indigenous youth in agriculture education program

With almost 58,000 youth engaged, including more than 11,000 Indigenous youth, the Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (EMILI), Actua and Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) have surpassed their targets for the first two years of their project to introduce 69,000 youth to the plant-protein, agrifood and digital agriculture sectors over three years.

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Expanding education and job opportunities for Indigenous youth

To ensure Indigenous voices and perspectives are included in the future of Canada's growing plant-based food and ingredients sector, we've partnered with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and Whitecap Dakota First Nation to create a micro-credential program for Indigenous youth in Western Canada.

With networking opportunities with processing business leaders, Indigenous Elders, Chiefs and Council, and other Indigenous youth, this program will ensure Indigenous students obtain the skills needed to take part in the increasing opportunities and economic growth available within Canada’s growing plant-based food and ingredients sector.

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Promoting inclusion for Indigenous peoples in Canadian agriculture

More than 140 organizations and leading partner Indigenous Works are developing a national Indigenous innovation strategy for the agriculture and agrifood sector, The strategy will promote the inclusion and economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples across the sector.

The consortium will map the current state of Indigenous participation in the agrifood sector identifying ways of increasing the following:

  • Collaborations between post-secondary researchers and Indigenous businesses;
  • Research knowledge mobilizations and new product/service innovations; and
  • Employment and business development.
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