Indigenous people in Canada’s tech sector see positive signs for a more inclusive industry, but some hurdles still need to be addressed.
Driving the news: A recent report by public policy think tank The Dais found that 1.4% of Indigenous employees work in tech, compared to 4.8% of non-Indigenous workers. They also face an annual pay gap of $14,000 on average.
- A lack of access to affordable, reliable, high-quality internet and hardware, plus barriers to education, have created a “digital divide” in Indigenous communities, making it harder to pursue technology’s economic opportunities.
What they’re saying: A groundswell of activity from younger Indigenous people makes Jeff Ward, the Ojibwe and Métis founder of technology firm Animikii, optimistic about the future — as long as they get set up for success.
- “There's a wave of Indigenous tech businesses coming, a lot more than when I started 20 years ago,” he told Peak Tech. “It's about skills and talent development to make sure they can get into tech and business careers.”
Big picture: Bobbie Racette, who is Cree-Métis and the founder of virtual assistant marketplace Virtual Gurus, says the other persistent hurdle is funding.
- “More than 170 investors said no to me before I got the first yes for my seed round, even though I had $1.8 million in revenue,” she said.
Why it matters: While the capital available to Indigenous entrepreneurs has grown, the gap between that and what is available to everyone else nearly doubled to $83.3 billion between 2003 and 2013. So even if there is an influx of activity, it could fizzle out when they run into a lack of funding.
Bottom line: Until the systemic barriers are removed, Racette says Indigenous founders should lift each other up and take more of an activist approach within the industry: “If we're not out there shouting out our businesses, then who is?”