New Indigenous Business Navigator service available at Indigenous Services Canada

February 22, 2023 — Ottawa, Ontario — Traditional unceded Algonquin Territory — Indigenous Services Canada

When applying for funding or business supports, connecting to all of the programs, funding applications, departments and agencies of the Government of Canada can be challenging. This can be even harder if you are part of a small team, or have not yet worked with any of them before.

To help make things easier for Indigenous businesses, organizations, and communities, a new service is now available through Indigenous Services Canada: the Indigenous Business Navigator Service.

This new service provides a single point of contact that connects Indigenous organizations and businesses to services and programs from different Government of Canada departments.

As a one-window approach, the requestor can simply email navigator@sac-isc.gc.ca including their information and the type of help needed, and a representative will respond and help connect the client with the appropriate service or program.

Departments involved in this new service include:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Atlantic Canada Opportunity Agency
• Canada Economic Development for Québec Regions
• Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
• Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
• Employment and Social Development Canada
• Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
• Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Health Canada
• Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
• National Defence
• Natural Resources Canada
• Pacific Economic Development Canada
• Parks Canada
• Prairies Economic Development Canada
• Public Services and Procurement Canada
• Transport Canada
• Women and Gender Equality Canada

In developing and testing this new service, the Indigenous Business Navigator was recently used by a First Nations tourism business in Quebec that reached out to find a program available to provide funding for renovations. The Navigator successfully connected them to Canada Economic Development for Quebec (CEDQ) Regions, and the business managed to secure funding for its project.

Connecting Indigenous businesses and organizations with the right services and programs that fit for them, while make various Government of Canada departments more accessible, will help strengthen their economic development options and open more windows of opportunity.