EDC is dedicated to supporting Indigenous businesses as they pursue economic self-reliance and growth through exporting. Guided by respect for Indigenous history, traditions and culture, we remove barriers to growth so that Indigenous-owned and -led businesses can thrive on the world stage while creating jobs and sustainable prosperity in their communities.
The initial focus of our Indigenous business strategy was on building partnerships within the Indigenous business community to raise awareness about and to ensure relevance and accessibility of EDC’s knowledge and financial solutions.
While that work continues, we have expanded our collaboration to Indigenous and non-Indigenous financial institutions across Canada to deliver financial solutions to Indigenous businesses. Our support for Indigenous companies has steadily grown to include:
- pandemic assistance
- direct lending
- loan guarantees
- insurance and other financial products
- participating in the new Indigenous Growth Fund
Despite these advances, there is much more to do as Indigenous businesses continue to face financial and market challenges. EDC will continue to partner with them respectfully and adapt our products and services to meet their unique needs, in a spirit of reconciliation.
See how EDC supports Indigenous businesses