U.S. ambassador visit to Saskatoon highlights First Nations business

U.S. Ambassador David Cohen met in Sasksatoon with Bill Lomax, CEO of First Nations Bank of Canada, who said it was great to see the U.S. take interest in Indigenous communities.

The United States Ambassador to Canada was making the rounds to several businesses across Saskatchewan Wednesday, with one of them being the First Nations Bank of Canada.

Ambassador David Cohen said one of his areas of interest is economic development and recovery.

“Because of the perspective of President Biden, who I represent in this country, it’s critically important to him that when we talk about rebuilding the economy we do it from, as he says, ‘the bottom up and the middle out,'” Cohen said.

He said this was an approach to recovery that he believes has a special meaning to First Nations people.

Cohen met with Bill Lomax, CEO of First Nations Bank of Canada, who said it was great to see the U.S. ambassador take interest in Indigenous communities.

“First Nations business is Canadian business,” Lomax said.

He said First Nations businesses help First Nations communities, but they do business all across Canada and serve other communities outside their own.

Lomax said anything that’s good for Indigenous businesses is good for Canada in general.