How to Register for the Indigenous Business Directory
Available to all levels of government and the private sector, this directory helps Indigenous businesses pursue business opportunities.
Possible delays for business registration
Due to high volumes, delays for business registration are longer than usual.
On this page
What is the Indigenous Business Directory
The Indigenous Business Directory (IBD) can help your business find opportunities, including federal contracts.
All levels of government and the private sector can search the public directory. It is the primary source we use to determine if there are Indigenous businesses available to fulfill federal contracts.
Having a business profile in the directory can increase your visibility and may provide additional business.
Your directory profile also confirms your eligibility to be considered for award of federal government contracts that are limited to competition under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB).
Where to register or log in
To register or log in to the Indigenous Business Directory, go to and fill out the form: Register for the Indigenous Business Directory.
Who is eligible for the IBD
To be listed on the IBD, a business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by Indigenous people. An Indigenous business can be:
- a band as defined by the Indian Act
- a sole proprietorship
or
- a limited company
- a co-operative
- a partnership
- a not-for-profit organization in which Indigenous persons have at least 51% ownership and control
or
- a joint venture consisting of 2 or more Indigenous businesses or an Indigenous business and a non-Indigenous business, provided that the joint venture is at least 51% owned and controlled by Indigenous people.
Any business that is ineligible or suspended from entering into a contract or real property agreement with the Government of Canada under the Ineligibility and Suspension Policy is not eligible for inclusion in the IBD.
Proof of eligibility
Business owners must be First Nations, Inuit or Métis and ordinarily resident in Canada.
Evidence considered for registration on the Indigenous Businesses Directory of being an Indigenous person includes, but is not limited to:
- Indian registration in Canada
- citizenship with the Manitoba Métis Federation, the Northwest Territory Métis Nation, the Métis Nation Saskatchewan; the Métis Nation of Alberta; the Métis Nation British Columbia or the Métis Nation of Ontario
- membership in an affiliate of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, or other recognized Indigenous organization in Canada
- acceptance as an Indigenous person by an established Indigenous community in Canada
- enrolment or entitlement to be enrolled pursuant to a comprehensive land claim agreement, or membership or entitlement to membership in a group with an accepted comprehensive claim
Business ownership and control requirements for the IBD
Evidence of ownership and control of an Indigenous business is commonly detailed in the following documents (please note- IBD will request additional documentation should evidence of control and/or ownership not be evident in the documentation you provide):
- incorporation documents
- shareholders' or members' register
- partnership agreements
- joint venture agreements
- business name registration
- banking arrangements
- governance documents
- minutes of meetings of board of directors and management committees
- other legal documents
Ownership of an Indigenous business refers to "beneficial ownership" such as who is the real owner of the business. ISC may consider a range of factors to determine whether Indigenous persons have true and effective control of the business. This includes both voting control at the shareholder level and operational or managerial control over the day-to-day activities and strategic direction of the business.
Partnerships and joint ventures
For all partnerships and joint ventures, the Indigenous partner(s) must be registered on the IBD and the following must be submitted:
- a copy of the Partnership Agreement or Joint Venture Agreement, including required information
- if the applicant is a Limited Partnership, the General Partner must also be registered in the Indigenous Business Directory.
If all partners in a partnership or joint venture are Indigenous businesses, the partners need only be registered in the IBD.
If all partners in a partnership are Indigenous individuals, the partners need only to provide proof of Indigeneity.
Factors to determine Indigenous ownership and control for the IBD
Factors that may be considered in determining whether Indigenous persons have at least 51% ownership and control of an Indigenous business include:
- capital stock and equity accounts, such as preferred stock, convertible securities, classes of common stock, warrants and options
- dividend policy and payments
- existence of stock options to employees
- different treatment of equity transactions for corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, community organizations and cooperatives
- examination of charter documents, such as the corporate charter, partnership agreement, financial structure
- concentration of ownership or managerial control in partners, stockholders, officers trustees and directors based definition of duties
- principal occupations and employer of the officers and directors to determine who they represent, such as banker or vested ownerships
- minutes of directors meetings and stockholders meetings for significant decisions that affect operations and direction
- executive and employee compensation records for indication of level of efforts associated with position
- nature of the business in comparison with the type of contract being negotiated
- cash management practices, such as payment of dividends or preferred dividends in arrears
- tax returns to identify ownership and business history
- good will contribution or contributed asset valuation to examine and ascertain the fair market value of non-cash capital contributions
- contracts with owners, officers and employees to be fair and reasonable
- stockholder authority, such as appointments of officers, directors and auditors
- trust agreements made between parties to influence ownership and control decisions
- partnership and the allocation and distribution of net income, such as the provision for salaries, interest on capital and distribution share ratios
- litigation proceedings over ownership
- transfer pricing from non-Indigenous joint venture
- payment of management or administrative fees
- guarantees made by the Indigenous business
- collateral agreements
Required information in the partnership or joint venture agreement
In order to support the intent and objective of PSIB, the agreements must include the following:
- Ownership units or percentage
The Indigenous partner must hold at least 51% ownership interest in the partnership or joint venture. This may be demonstrated through a shareholder register if applicable. When the Indigenous partner is a corporation or other entity, its own Indigenous ownership percentage must be taken into account when calculating the effective Indigenous ownership of the partnership or joint venture. - Control and decision-making
The Indigenous partner must be actively involved in the strategic direction and operational management of the partnership.- Governance structures and voting rights must reflect Indigenous decision-making authority over all key decisions, including the appointment of key personnel.
- Roles
The agreement must demonstrate that Indigenous partner will have a lead role in carrying out the business activities of the joint ventures or partnership, with direct responsibility for managing and executing the core business activities, rather than solely contributing through administrative, support, or overhead functions under any resulting PSIB contracts.- The non-Indigenous partner may contribute technical expertise, operational support, or other value-added services. These contributions must be made under the direction and control of the Indigenous partner, and must not substitute or displace the Indigenous partner's role in delivering the contracted work.
- For joint ventures fulfilling a PSIB contract, at least 33% of the value of work must be directly carried out by the Indigenous business. This includes actively executing and managing the contracted work.
- Financial returns
The agreement must clearly define how financial benefits, such as profits, dividends and revenue shares, are distributed between the partners.- These financial returns must not be reduced or undermined by management fees, service charges, or other financial arrangements that disproportionately benefit the non-Indigenous partner
- Compensation structures must not rely on nominal or fixed percentages of revenue that fail to reflect the Indigenous partner's ownership stake or active participation in the business activities
- Entire agreement clause
The agreement must include an entire agreement clause, confirming that the written contract constitutes the complete and final agreement between the parties and that it supersedes any prior agreements or other agreements or deals in effect between the partners - Confirmation of no modifications
At the time of application a statement signed by all partners must confirm that:- no modifications have been made to the partnership or joint venture agreement, and
- no new agreements exist that would affect the enforceability of the entire agreement clause
This statement must be dated within the past 60 calendar days of the application.
An updated statement may be requested when an audit is conducted.
Requirements for corporations with shared Indigenous and non-Indigenous ownership
Where a corporation has Indigenous and non-Indigenous ownership, Indigenous people must own at least 51% of all shares and hold a majority of voting shares.
Governing documents such as articles of incorporation, bylaws or shareholder agreement must describe shareholder voting procedures and demonstrate that Indigenous owners have final decision-making authority on all key decisions. The voting rights must ensure that Indigenous owners have unrestricted authority to appoint or remove directors.
The business must also demonstrate at least one of the following:
- Indigenous owners occupy key leadership roles (e.g., CEO, Executive Director);
- Indigenous owners hold a majority of seats on the Board of Directors; or,
- Indigenous owners serve in key Board positions (e.g., Chair, Vice-Chair).
At any time during the assessment process, IBD personnel may examine the allocation of financial benefits. Financial benefits to the Indigenous owners, such as profits and dividends, must be proportionate to their ownership share.
When evidence is provided by way of a shareholder agreement, the agreement must include:
- Entire agreement clause
- The agreement must include an entire agreement clause, confirming that the written contract constitutes the complete and final agreement between the parties and that it supersedes any prior agreements or other agreements or deals in effect between the partners
- Confirmation of no modifications
- At the time of application a statement signed by all partners must confirm that:
- no modifications have been made to the agreement, and
- no new agreements exist that would affect the enforceability of the entire agreement clause
This statement must be dated within the past 60 calendar days of the application.
An updated statement may be requested when an audit is conducted.
- At the time of application a statement signed by all partners must confirm that:
Contact us
For more information, please email the Indigenous Business Directory team at REA-IBD@sac-isc.gc.ca.