By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Several of Canada’s federal departments didn’t meet the mandated target for Indigenous procurement in 2023-2024, according to government documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer through an Access to Information request. The policy, introduced in 2021, requires that at least five per cent of all federal spending must go to Indigenous businesses to address economic gaps and increase Indigenous participation in government supply chains. Although the federal government as a whole awarded more than $1.24 billion in contracts to Indigenous businesses last year — representing 6.1 per cent of all eligible contracts — the documents show significant variation in the awarding of federal contracts between departments. An Indigenous business is defined as one owned and operated by elders, band and tribal…
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