Centres change hands

Page 5

The federal government is giving First Nations more control over

frienship centres across Canada, but no extra money to help them

shoulder the added responsibility.

The Ottawa-based national Association of Friendship Centres took over

management of 99 federally-funded friendship centres from the Canadian

Heritage Ministry on April 1.

Heritage minster Sheila Copps will still be the top bureaucrat in

charge of the program, and her minstry will continue to fund it, but the

day-to-day running of the program has been taken over by the NAFC. The

funding and terms of the agreement will be reviewed in four years.

Copps said the plan fulfills the Liberal government's promise to give

Native Canadaians more direct control over programs that affect their

lives.

"(It) gives Aboriginal people in Canada greater control over their own

affairs and a more substantial role in the decision making process of

this country," Copps said.

"The Heritage ministry will save money under the plan and the

friendship centre program will be carried out "more effectively and

efficiently" by the NAFC, said Marc Maracle, the NAFC's executive

director.

In terms of funding, however, the government is coming up short,

Maracle charged

The Heritage minstry is giving the NAFC $74.1 million over five years

to cover increased adminstration costs during the transition, including

$15.6 million for 1996-97 . Each individual frienship centre will get

$150,000 under the deal.

But the NAFC will get only five per cent of the $74.1 million, a figure

Maracle said he is "not totally happy with."

Maracle believes the FAFC should receive more than five per cent

because it is shouldering most of the extra workload and will incur the

mose in extra expenses from the change.

Federal funding for frienship centres overall is insufficient, he

added, because it fails to keep pace with the growth of the Aboriginal

population in cities. Seventy per cent of Aborginal Canadian now live

in urban areas, he said so the need for frienship centres is greater

than ever.

But federal money for friendship centres has been slashed over the last

few years, including a 10 per cent drop in the last federal budget and

more cuts to come, Maracle said. He said governements must recognize

the growing need for friendship centres and fund them accordingly.

Setting the money issue aside, Maracle welcomed the Liberal

government's effort to hand First Nations more control over such

programs, and urged other federal departments to " take a hard look" at

the other areas that can be transferred.

Friendship centes were first set up by urban Native leaders in the

1950's to help Native Canadians make the transition from reserves and

rural communities to city life. They provide urban Aboriginals with a

cultural meeting place, as well as housing, education and employemnt

programs. The federal government took over the management and funding

of most friendship centres in 1972.