The Rise of Indigenous Economic Power: Deconstructing Indian Act Economics

Indigenomics in action―moving beyond Indian Act economics towards Indigenous economic sovereignty

In this groundbreaking new work, Carol Anne Hilton, author of the bestselling Indigenomics, explores the phenomenon of growing Indigenous economic power and sovereignty, achieved despite monumental historic injustices.

The Indigenous economy in Canada is on track to exceed $100 billion. Yet full Indigenous participation at the economic table is still fundamentally lacking, due in large part to the inherently colonial and racist policies of the Indian Act. Hilton deconstructs these systemic barriers and maps an ethical way forward based on radical inclusion and Indigenomics in action.

Coverage includes:

• The far-reaching social and moral consequences of Indian Act economics―a tool used to legislate away Indigenous rights and jurisdiction with the express purpose of erasing First Nations
• The true cost of maintaining the status quo, from perpetuating inequality and cycles of Indigenous poverty, to lost opportunities for value-creation in Indigenous and settler economies
• Twenty-five transformative trends driving Indigenous economic growth.

Required reading for Indigenous organizations, Nations, and allies; business leaders and investors; lawyers and policymakers; governments at all levels; and everyone interested in reconciliation, decolonization, and building a just, prosperous, and inclusive society.

AWARDS

• GOLD | 2026 Nautilus Book Award - Business & Leadership
• BRONZE | 2026 Axiom Award - Economics
• FINALIST | 2025 Forward INDIES - Business & Economics