| Our Founder Lara Siouï with Mr. Peter Simons and Mrs. Josée Leblanc during a panel discussion moderated by Mrs. Nadia Robertson. Credit: Audet Photo |
If you know us even a little, you know that we are extremely proud of our heritage and that we always want to give back to our community in order to help the Aboriginal nations to prosper and develop! This is why we are pleased to share with you this major event , which took place on November 25 and 26, 2021 and which aimed to find solutions for Indigenous economic development in several regions of the province.
The Greater Economic Circle of Indigenous Peoples and Quebec, an initiative of the AFNQL and the provincial government. During the two days of the event, there were many activities, panels, opportunities to network and discuss with people from other nations, business people and elected officials from Aboriginal peoples and Quebec. The objective of these two days is to allow the economic inclusion of indigenous peoples and their participation in economic recovery. In addition, Quebec businesses and organizations are invited to make public commitments for better participation of Aboriginal peoples in the economy. Several themes were discussed, including employment and training, entrepreneurship, Aboriginal tourism, housing, etc.
Highlights:
- Our Co-Founder Lara Siouï was on hand to discuss the challenges related to the marketing of authentic Aboriginal products. The authenticity of the product is a great strength at Onquata. Lara discussed this subject with Mr. Peter Simons, CEO of La Maison Simons as well as Mrs. Josée Leblanc, CEO of Atikuss .
- To highlight the economic contribution of Aboriginals in the province and to prevent cultural appropriation, a group of Aboriginal women came up with the idea of creating a logo. Frank Polson , Long Point First Nation artist, is the artist behind the multicolored bear. Why a multicolored bear? In Aboriginal traditions, the bear symbolizes courage and respect. This logo is now part of the First Nations Identification program, which was developed by the FNQLEDC . First Nations products and services will now have an authentication logo to combat cultural appropriation.
It is initiatives like this that will allow us to recreate the circle and the bond that we have among ourselves. Plus, it's a great way for anyone not involved in our community to get to know us better. Bringing all our great minds together and coming up with ideas to improve our future is an opportunity we couldn't miss.
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Grand Economic Circle of Indigenous Peoples and Quebec
If you know us, you know that we are extremely proud of our heritage and always want to give back to our community in order to help indigenous nations prosper and develop! That is why we are pleased to share with you this important event , which took place on November 25th and 26th, 2021, that aimed to find solutions for First Nations economic development in several regions of the province.
Grand Economic Circle of Indigenous Peoples and Quebec, an initiative of the APNQL and the provincial government. During the two days of the event, there were many activities, panels and, of course, some networking. There were also opportunities to exchange with people from other nations, business people and elected officials of Indigenous people and Quebec. The objective of these two days is to allow the economic inclusion of Indigenous people and their participation in the economic recovery. In addition, Quebec companies and organizations are invited to make public commitments for a better participation of indigenous people in the economy. Several themes were addressed, including employment and training, entrepreneurship, Indigenous tourism, housing, etc.
Highlights:
- Our Cofounder, Lara Siouï, was present to talk about the challenges of bringing authentic Indigenous products to the market. Product authenticity is a great strength of Onquata. Lara spoke with Mr. Peter Simons, CEO of La Maison Simons and Ms. Josée Leblanc, CEO of Atikuss .
- In an effort to highlight the economic contribution of Indigenous people in the province and to prevent cultural appropriation, a group of Indigenous women came up with the idea of creating a logo. Frank Polson , the artist from Long Point First Nation, is the artist behind the multicolored bear. Why a multicolored bear? In Indigenous traditions, the bear symbolizes courage and respect. This logo is now part of the First Nations identification program, which was developed by the FNQLEDC . First Nations products and services will now have an authentication logo to fight against cultural appropriation.
It is initiatives like this that will allow us to recreate the circle and the link that we have with each other. Also, it is a great way for anyone not involved in our community to get to know us better. Bringing all of our great minds together and coming up with ideas to improve our future is an opportunity we couldn't miss!
Speech by the Premier of Quebec, François Legault.
Lara Siouï – Peter Simons, CEO La Maison Simons – Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, Ghislain Picard.
Lara Siouï and Peter Simons during the panel discussion; How to showcase Indigenous entrepreneurs and products in an authentic way?
Our founder Lara Siouï with Daniele Henkel , Businesswoman, Sophie Brochu , President and CEO of Hydro-Québec, Maggie Emudluk , Vice-President of Economic Development Makivik Corporation and Kahsennehawe Sky-Deer , Grand Chief Mohawk Council of Kahnawake.
