Indigenous people in Manitoba pump billions of dollars to the provincial economy each year, according to a new report that aims to give a clearer picture of the economic impact of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.
Total spending by Indigenous governments, businesses and households in the province added up to $9.3 billion in 2016, says the report — a collaboration between Manitoba’s Southern Chiefs’ Organization, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and the Rural Development Institute at Brandon University.
“It’s the first of its kind, in which we have a pretty accurate analysis of the kind of contributions that Indigenous people are making to the economy,” said Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels in an interview with CBC’s Manitoba’s morning show, Information Radio.
The report looked at Indigenous economic impact in four categories: gross domestic product (a measure of the total value of goods produced and services provided in the province), employment, labour income and taxes paid.
In 2016 alone, the Indigenous economy added $2.3 billion to the provincial gross domestic product, the report found.
