Senator Loffreda: Thank you for that answer. How is the department measuring the success of the service? Are Indigenous entrepreneurs providing the department with feedback to help improve the service? Do we have performance indicators and targets in place in order to evaluate the success and effectiveness of the navigator service and manage the results and not only its funding and activities?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. As I understand it, the navigator is meant to help connect Indigenous businesses and owners, Indigenous organizations and communities with programs and services that exist across many different departments and agencies of the federal government. Quite a number of those agencies are participating, including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions; indeed, there are over a dozen. They can be found easily.

They cover the span of this country and focus on economic development, women and gender equality and the like. The navigator process can be initiated by emailing navigator@sac-isc.gc.ca, providing certain details for one’s business community organization and information will be transmitted.