Aboriginal and Minority Entrepreneurs Gain $16 Million Head Start From Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council
But federal government action is needed to open more doors to Aboriginal and minority suppliers, organization says
TORONTO - April 3, 2006 - Aboriginal and minority entrepreneurs across Canada received a $16 million boost in sales last year with assistance from the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC).
Marking its first full year of operations, CAMSC, a private-sector organization that promotes purchasing from Aboriginal and minority enterprises by large corporations, facilitated business ties that resulted in the sales.
"By opening doors to large corporate buyers, CAMSC is helping Aboriginal and minority suppliers overcome obstacles on the path to business success," says Orrin Benn, president of CAMSC. "Our goal is to further unlock the potential of Aboriginal and minority entrepreneurs and thereby help these communities join Canada’s economic mainstream."
Sales contracts facilitated by CAMSC include the purchase of injection dies and moulds by DaimlerChrysler from Toronto-based Kenax Precision Ltd., refrigerated food service displays by Pepsico from QBD Cooling Systems of Brampton, Ont., and cleaning products by a major forest products company from Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation. All three suppliers are CAMSC-certified enterprises.
During 2005, CAMSC built its membership to 25 Fortune 500 corporations, certified Aboriginal and minority suppliers with combined revenues of $700 million, established a partnership with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative, and signed a reciprocal agreement with the National Minority Supplier Development Council in the U.S., opening up opportunities to sales in the larger U.S. market.
CAMSC Calls For Government Action
Seeking to build on its initial success, CAMSC is calling upon the federal government to further level the playing field for Aboriginal and minority entrepreneurs struggling to build sales.
CAMSC proposes that corporations doing business with the federal government be required to publicly report the amount of goods and services they buy from Aboriginal and minority-owned businesses, similar to a longstanding and successful policy in the U.S.
"Big business can make a huge difference to disadvantaged groups, as long as government holds them accountable," Benn says. "Generating a dynamic, sustainable entrepreneurial economy is a proven, long-term solution to poverty."
2006 Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Procurement Fair
On April 4 and 5, CAMSC is hosting the second annual Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Procurement Fair, at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Under the theme "leveraging diversity to strengthen the Canadian economy," the event will provide networking and business opportunities linking corporate buyers with Aboriginal and minority businesses.
Speakers at this year’s Procurement Fair include:
- Shahid R. Khan, president of US$2.5 billion global auto parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate;
- Charlie Coffey, executive vice president, Government Affairs and Business Development, RBC;
- Judy Bradt, principal and CEO of US government procurement consultancy Summit Insight and a former trade official at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC; and
- Marty Klyne, chairperson of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board.
The Fair will also feature corporate exhibitors, networking sessions and roundtables with corporate procurement directors and Aboriginal and minority suppliers.
About CAMSC
The Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council is an independent, non-profit organization that aims to boost economic development efforts, employment and inclusion for Aboriginal and visible minority suppliers through business relations and mentoring. Corporations operating in Canada also benefit from this initiative by gaining a better understanding of and access to ethnic communities, while diversifying and improving their supplier chain base. CAMSC is headquartered in Markham, Ont. For more information, please call 905-479-1114 or visit www.camsc.ca.