AFN Hosts Summit On Indigenous Economies

AFN Hosts Summit On Indigenous Economies

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 12:44

An event being called the largest ever Indigenous Economic Summit is being held in Toronto this week.

The three-day gathering is being hosted by the Assembly of First Nations, and runs until tomorrow.

AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine says with a growing land base and the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population, First Nations have the potential to make an “enormous contribution” to renew and revitalize the North American economy in these uncertain times.

Former UN ambassador Stephen Lewis and internationally acclaimed economist Thomas Homer-Dixon are two of the guest speakers.

Homer-Dixon says during this time of economic turmoil, First Nations should be viewed as “deeply resourceful communities that can respond creatively to new challenges and teach the larger Canadian society how to be resilient when coping with crisis”.