The Indigenous Employment Leadership Advisory Table (IELAT), works in collaboration with the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition and other Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations in East Ontario. Our vision is that through our collective efforts, more Indigenous Peoples, specifically youth, are employed in workplaces that value their cultural identity, their inherent gifts, and their worldview.  

As an advisory group, members of the IELAT will work together in partnership, and use their collective resources and assets to: 

• Develop tools and strategies to enhance the knowledge and understanding of employers to successfully employ and support Indigenous employees; 
• Address employment barriers for Indigenous Peoples;
• Promote systemic change within workplaces so that they transform into culturally sensitive and diverse places of employment that respect Indigenous worldviews and belief systems; 
• Use focus groups, research, and the experience from the Table to fulfill this purpose. 

The IELAT hopes to achieve its objectives through: 

• Gaining a better understanding of the labour market issues in our region; 
• Building stronger relationships between the Indigenous community, employers, post-secondary institutions, funders, and employment service providers;
• Developing best practice approaches, tools, and resources to better equip workplaces to be more culturally safe and inclusive for Indigenous Peoples;  
• Increasing the knowledge base and awareness of employers and those who support Indigenous Peoples. 

For more information about the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition and its members, please visit ottawaaboriginalcoalition.ca.