Gearing Up for Global Exports

Identifying Skills and Promising Practices to Support Indigenous Exporters

French • October 21, 2025

Empowering Indigenous SMEs for global trade and economic self‑determination

Indigenous small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada continue to be under‑represented in global trade due to long‑standing barriers that limit their access to global markets, financing, and export‑related support.¹ In 2020, only 7.2 per cent of Indigenous SMEs in Canada exported goods or services, compared with 12.1 per cent of non‑Indigenous SMEs.²

Closing this gap is urgent, as expanding Indigenous participation in global trade helps to support Indigenous economic development and strengthens Canada’s overall economic resilience.³

This project aims to identify critical export‑related skills, training needs, and supports that Indigenous SMEs require to compete globally. By drawing on promising practices from successful Indigenous exporters, it will identify scalable strategies to close export skills gaps. The project will also explore how improved training, supportive policies, partnerships, and Indigenous‑led approaches can help overcome key barriers.

In partnership with the Future Skills Centre, this research will provide new insights that empower Indigenous entrepreneurs to succeed in export‑oriented sectors such as fisheries, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, and professional services.

What will we focus on?

What is the current distribution of Indigenous SMEs across Canada by industry and region?
What skills and supports do they need to overcome challenges in export markets?
What lessons can be drawn from Indigenous exporters that have achieved success?

Our approach

This project will employ a mixed-methods approach to answer these questions. This includes:

analyzing Census data from Statistics Canada;
reviewing existing literature;
interviewing Indigenous business exporters, educators in the export-related fields, government representatives, financial organizations and institutions, and organizations that provide business and trade support.

Get involved

For further information or to participate in the research, please contact: Alicia Hussain, Senior Research Associate.

This research was prepared with financial support provided through the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Summary of the Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, 2023, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 2024; and Adam Fiser, “What Are the Business Characteristics of Indigenous Exporters in Canada?” , Signal49 Research, 2018 (unpublished).
Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and Global Affairs Canada, Adàwe: Export Experiences of Indigenous Entrepreneurs, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and Global Affairs Canada, October 18, 2023.
Varun Srivatsan, “DeepDive: Shared Prosperity: Indigenous Economic Reconciliation and Meeting the Moment of Crisis,” The Hub, April 30, 2025; and Renato Reyes, “How Increasing Trade Access for Indigenous Businesses Enriches Markets and Promotes Sustainability,” Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, August 21, 2024.

FSC partners

The responsibility for the findings and conclusions of this research rests entirely with Signal49 Research.