Evaluation of the Northern Aboriginal Economic Opportunities Program 2016-17 to 2020-2021 - Summary Report

Relevance

The NAEOP program continues to be relevant and aligns with the Government of Canada commitment to support economic development and job creation for Indigenous Peoples.

The Program is necessary due to increased timelines and business costs in the North, with some stakeholders stating that they would not be able to conduct their project or work without the funding received through the Program. The Program plays a critical role in enhancing the well-being and quality of life for Indigenous businesses, communities, organizations, and individuals in the territories.

However, the Program relies heavily on the existing nation-to-nation relationships. There is a perception that there is a lack of ongoing coordination among federal and provincial jurisdictions, leading to confusion regarding what services are to be provided, at what service levels, and what legislation applies. Both Service Delivery Partners (SDPs) and CanNor program officials acknowledge that gaps created by jurisdictional conflicts contribute to the economic disparities (e.g., high unemployment, lower income levels, lower levels of education, poorer health, and inadequate housing) among Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Additional work is needed to improve program delivery for funding recipients.

Effectiveness

Based on current data available, there is evidence that the Program has made progress towards its short- and medium-term outcomes. Key informants highlighted the positive impacts the Program had on launching businesses in northern Indigenous communities. This includes, but is not limited to, using NAEOP funding to engage in establishing partnerships, conducting preliminary studies, or other economic development project preparation/readiness work. However, it is unclear if there has been a long-term increase in program effectiveness as it is too early to determine at this stage. Key risk areas that may impede or delay the achievement of targets include data collection and interpretation, individual choices, and cultural differences.

Potential improvements were identified in the areas of funding levels, application processes, outreach, reporting, and understanding local communities. Coordination and collaboration of funding across federal departments are also needed, and external factors such as inflation or policy changes should be recognized.

Moving forward, there is a need to define what success and progress means in the context of economic development for northern Indigenous communities, as well as to quantitatively evaluate the performance of the Program itself. This may include improving data collection tools and metrics of performance to gain a deeper understanding of the Program’s impact on demand and quality of services provided to northern Indigenous communities, organizations, and businesses.

Efficiency

The evaluation found that of the available information, there is evidence that NAEOP is making progress towards achieving its intended outcomes at present. The Program reported that all 73 communities in the territories (15 in Yukon, 33 in Northwest Territories, and 25 in Nunavut) received NAEOP funding (via contribution agreements) between the FY 2016-17 and FY 2020-2021 period. However, based on interviews, there is room for improvement in consistent reporting, enhancing capacity for local economic development, and facilitating greater access to commercial financing.

The evaluation team was unable to get a clear idea of whether there had been a measurable increase in the efficiency of the Program delivery over the medium- and long-term.