Aboriginal Women in Business

17 January 2013

Aboriginal Women in Business

The Public Affairs section welcomed representatives from three local aboriginal development organizations (Quebec Native Women, the First Nations Human Resources Development Commission of Quebec and the Aboriginal Business Canada initiative of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada) for a digital videoconference on aboriginal women in business.

The presentation was given by Margo Gray-Proctor to encourage a dialogue between First Nations and Native American women on individual and community-based approaches to entrepreneurship. Margo Gray-Proctor is an aboriginal business woman from the Osage tribe, from the Tulsa, Oklahoma region. She is the President of Horizon Engineering Services Co. and consults with tribes on various issues such as project management, environment or master planning.

Her presentation offered the audience a summary of how she made it in the business world and explained the different steps she had to take in order to become a successful entrepreneur. It also covered the difficulties other aboriginal women might encounter and ways to resolve them. At the end of the videoconference, participants had the opportunity to ask Gray-Proctor questions, discuss various issues affecting aboriginals in their respective communities and network.