OTTAWA – Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development has announced an agreement with the National Association of Friendship Centres to help enable Aboriginal people in urban centres to take advantage of the economic prosperity of our country.
The National Association of Friendship Centres is receiving $17 million from the Harper Government to support initiatives that benefit urban Aboriginal peoples, while contributing to increasing the participation of urban Aboriginal peoples in the economy. This investment signifies one step further in support of Aboriginal organizations aligned with the Government’s priority of increasing the economic participation of Aboriginal people living in Canada’s urban areas.
The Urban Partnerships program is a collaborative approach that brings together the expertise of governments, Aboriginal communities, and private and not-for-profit sectors to address barriers preventing Aboriginal people in urban centres from participating fully in the economy.
“Our Government remains committed to enabling Aboriginal people in urban centres to take full advantage of the economic prosperity of our country. Through this target investment and collaboration with the National Association of Friendship Centres, we are helping to provide Aboriginal people with the support and opportunities they need to succeed in an urban environment,” said Minister Valcourt.
Our Government announced improvements to the Urban Aboriginal Strategy on February 6, 2014, and this program builds on Canada’s initiative to provide further opportunities for success for Canada’s growing urban Aboriginal population. The new strategy consolidates previous urban Aboriginal programming into two new programs – Urban Partnerships and Community Capacity Support.
This streamlined approach will result in more support going directly to community projects, initiatives, and services to support Aboriginal people living in urban centres.
Quick facts
- The National Association of Friendship Centres will receive over $17 million in Urban Partnerships funding to support community projects.
- 56 per cent of all Aboriginal people in Canada live in urban areas.
- Cities with the largest Aboriginal populations in 2011 were Winnipeg (78,420), Edmonton (61,765), Vancouver (52,375), Toronto (36,995), Calgary (33,370), Ottawa-Gatineau (30,570), Montreal (26,280), Saskatoon (23,895), and Regina (19,785) (2011 Census).
