Steve McLellan, the CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. Photo courtesy of Manfred Joehnck.
After months of public consultations, a group of five business organizations has released a report that looks at long-term prosperity for the province by making changes now that will pay huge dividends in the future.
One area that got a lot of attention is engaging the Aboriginal community, which is seen as the greatest the challenge and the greatest opportunity facing the province.
The report is called “The Upstream Economy.” It has 45 calls to action, touching on everything from better education, health care and diversity. It also calls for embracing the potential of all Indigenous people.
Steve McLellan, the CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, says some things like providing equal funding for First Nations education can be done quickly, while others will take time.
“The bottom line is we need some significant steps,” he said. “The population of our Indigenous people in this province is growing and we need them to work with the rest of the community to share in that prosperity that we have.”
The President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Construction Association, Mark Cooper, says it will take another generation before there is real improvement, but he says there is real desire to see that happen.
“Our greatest economic opportunities are in Aboriginal engagement,” he said. “That’s why it was 1A or 1B at every meeting we went to, every community we went to. This is the issue people were talking about.”
The report is seen as a dialogue for discussion, and a starting point to reach long-term goals. In addition to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce and the Saskatchewan Construction Association, the Saskatchewan Mining Association, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan took part in putting together the report.