Background

The concept of an Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce for Manitoba is not a new one. It is an idea that has been 10 years in the making.

While the individual efforts did not take any solid form, they had successfully planted seeds in the minds of Aboriginal business leaders and entrepreneurs. Realizing the strength in working together, the efforts of the north and of the south were combined, then partners and interested parties were sought from every industry.

The momentum continued to build as more professional Aboriginal business leaders joined in the efforts to create a viable, recognized Aboriginal business association. By October 19, 2004, approval for an Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce was granted by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. On November 3, 2004, the Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce was officially birthed into the world with its formal announcement at the Premier's Economic Advisory Council Summit.

Since then, the ACC has worked diligently to prepare its business plan and organize several key events to promote its members. Past events include:

+	Official Chamber Launch, December 10, 2004
		Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz and Former Grand Chief Dennis Whitebird were guest speakers to a crowd of over 70 Aboriginal business owners, corporate CEOs and government supporters.
+	Breakfast Speaker, April 27, 2005
		Former Grand Chief Dennis Whitebird was a guest speaker on the topic of the future of Aboriginal business in Manitoba. Over 75 people attended with an entire delegation from the Nunavut Chamber of Commerce.
+	Seminar on Procurement, May 17, 2005
		ACC and the Aboriginal Business Service Network jointly organized and hosted a seminar/talk on procurement with corporations and government departments, as well as one-to-one networking opportunities with key buyers from corporations and government.
+	VisionQuest Conference, May 17 - 19, 2005
		ACC bought a booth at the tradeshow and actively marketed and promoted its membership, and included the distribution of member marketing material.
+	Stakeholder Sessions, June 9 & 10
		ACC discussed with IBM the need for them to bring opportunities to the north. IBM agreed and held a Stakeholder Session in Thompson on the 9th of June and another in The Pas on the 10th of June.
+	Corporate Networking Session, June 29th, 2005
		ACC organized a small networking session between corporate buyers and Aboriginal suppliers.
+	TCIG, July 2005
		ACC bought a booth at the TCIG tradeshow/conference and actively marketed its membership products and services.
+	Corporate Networking Evening, September 29th, 2005
		ACC organized a large corporate networking evening with over 130 corporate purchasers and Aboriginal business suppliers. It was a great success with several members securing contracts/sales that evening.
+	Breakfast Speaker, October 18th, 2005
		Mike Birch of the First Nation Buying Group was keynote speaker and he spoke on the topic of 4 keys to success in Aboriginal business. There were over 50 people in attendance who took advantage of the time after the breakfast to network and do business.
+	President's Gathering, December 15th, 2005
		ACC members gathered with corporations and community organizations to network, mingle and celebrate the holiday season. At the same time, ACC and United Way raised money for a local community initiative called "Empowering Our Little Sisters."

The Chamber will continue to strive forward, paving the path for Aboriginal entrepreneurs and making history as the first Aboriginal Chamber in the history of Canada.