A broad ecosystem of programs across Canada is designed to enable Indigenous Peoples to expand professional, business, and community networks. The Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) operates national networking programming through its Tools for Indigenous Business series, Connects mentorship program, and Indigenous business networking events, alongside a searchable member directory that connects Indigenous businesses to corporate and government procurement opportunities. The National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) delivers the Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship (IWE) Program and the Indigenous Youth Entrepreneurship (IYE) Program through its network of over 30 Indigenous Financial Institutions, which provide business advisory services, training workshops, and network-building opportunities alongside microloans.
Pow Wow Pitch, a non-profit founded in 2015 and co-presented by RBC, Shopify, and Mastercard Canada, operates an Alumni Network of over 2,000 Indigenous entrepreneurs and delivers over 140 one-on-one mentorships annually through pitch competitions held at powwows and Indigenous festivals across Canada. The Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (Cando) is the national professional association for Indigenous Economic Development Officers, with over 400 members, an annual conference drawing over 350 delegates, and two certification designations (Technician Aboriginal Economic Developer and Professional Aboriginal Economic Developer). The Native Women’s Association of Canada operates the #BeTheDrum initiative, building on its Aboriginal Women’s Business Entrepreneurship Network (AWBEN), active since 2012. Regional and urban Indigenous business and professional associations such as AKSIS in Edmonton complement this national ecosystem. Complementary mentorship and chamber-of-commerce programming is discussed in detail in the parallel assessments of Calls 2 and 3.