Enhancing northern and Indigenous opportunities is a focus of expansion for the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber has developed what it calls an Indigenous Engagement Charter, aimed at helping First Nations people integrate into the workforce and for businesses to address cultural considerations of its employees.

Brad Smart, Director of Advocacy and Government Relations said the Charter is receiving great buy-in from businesses.

“We’re talking about things like education, workforce development, as well as cultural sensitivity. That’s what our Indigenous Engagement Charter does. We’ve had a number of signatories from all kinds of large, small and medium enterprises that are buying-in and saying to themselves ‘yes we want to be involved in this,’” explained Smart.

Smart said Indigenous employment represents a $90 billion potential.

Specifically to the north, the Chamber could explore how the wild rice industry could expand to export markets, lobbying the provincial government for more opportunities for procurement and training to meet market demands.

Smart said the federal government should provide more supports to the uranium industry.

The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce was recently in La Ronge.

With files from David Smith.

(Photo: Brad Smart. Credit David Smith.)