Numbers like these jump off the page and truly represent a generational shift in Indigenous reconciliation that can benefit everyone in Canada, regardless of background.
Canada's Indigenous economy is worth $30 billion and is expected to more than triple in the coming years, hitting $100 billion by 2025. Much of this success comes through partnerships like the ones at the heart of the 2024 Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase (IPSS), which runs June 5 and 6 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
How to best prepare for these transformative changes will be a talking point addressed through a seminar entitled, “Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Digital Equity: Ongoing Lessons from the Adoption of AI Technologies.”
Running from 10:45 to 11:25 a.m. on June 5, the panel discussion will feature Natiea Vinson, CEO of the First Nations Technology Council; James Delorme, CEO of Indigelink Digital Inc.; and moderator Christy Morgan, who works as a reconciliation strategy manager with Telus.
The themes to be discussed are both contemporary and pressing across all sectors of commerce: digital infrastructure and capacity needs for Indigenous governments; the impacts and solutions to be found in digital transformation and assessing how artificial intelligence (A/I) is impacting the business landscape both now and in the future.
“First Nations are facing an enormous amount of opportunity, but they also sometimes face a challenging lack of pre-existing capacity in their administrative structures,” explains IPSS founder Stewart Muir. “With this component of the conference we’re appealing to administrators and people who are trying to build larger companies so that the opportunities for their future can be managed.”
As CEO of the First Nations Technology Council, Vinson is responsible for guiding the organization into the future as it empowers First Nations communities across BC to thrive in the digital age. Vinson is a member of Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc and has more than a decade of experience working as an entrepreneur and across academia, social enterprise organizations, and both the public and private sectors.
Delorme is an Indigenous digital and social disrupter and former chief of the Klahoose First Nation. In his current role as CEO of technology and research company Indigelink Digital Inc, Delorme remains steadfast in working on passion projects with internet connectivity, data governance and emerging technologies such as A/I.
In her capacity as Telus’s reconciliation strategy manager, Morgan works within a team to support various Telus business units to embed reconciliation, meaningful relationships and Indigenous paradigms into the work. She is a proud First Nations woman from the St'uxwtéws (Bonaparte) Band, which is a part of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation.
The key theme for this year’s IPSS is on Reconciliation in Action, and responding to the growing demand for practical guidance on how First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and their enterprise partners can work together, in common purpose, for shared success.
“I think these values are shared by many in the community, especially by those who want to contribute toward reconciliation in all spheres of business or cultural life but may not feel equipped,” Muir says. “IPSS will provide guidance, inspiration and networking opportunities to fuel practical steps toward reconciliation.”
Tickets for this year’s IPSS are available at www.indigenoussuccess.ca.
