Changes to urban funding concerns Métis

Some friendship centres still have Native or Indian in their titles, but they have been serving the entire Aboriginal population in urban centres for decades.

And with a new agreement signed between the federal government and the National Friendship Association of Canada, that overall commitment has been stepped up with significant federal funding, said NAFC executive director Jeff Cyr.

Cyr met with Métis governments in British Columbia and Alberta following the federal government’s announcement that Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada had realigned its funding for the Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) program. With the new alignment, $43 million of a $50.8 million budget would be distributed by the NAFC. The remainder will be dispersed by AANDC.

The announcement was not welcomed by the Métis National Council.

“In cities with the largest Aboriginal population in Canada, such as Winnipeg and Edmonton, the Métis are the clear majority of that population, yet once again we are being ignored,” said MNC President Clement Chartier in a news release.

Métis delivery of UAS programming “should have been a consideration for the larger population of Métis in those urban centres,” said Bruce Dumont, president of Métis Nation British Columbia, who adds there is some concern whether money will be meted out fairly to Métis economic projects.

“It’s no different. We’ve had to compete for those dollars (with the federal government),” said Dumont. “It can’t be any worse than it was.”

Dumont, along with the provincial youth chair and youth director, met with Cyr to discuss the revamped UAS program, which includes a variety of Aboriginal youth-oriented programs and funding. Dumont said the MNBC, which has a strong focus on youth, regularly ran into problems with the federal government in getting approval in a timely manner. Dumont notes that MNBC already has a good working relationship with the BC Association of Friendship Centres and will continue to build on that.

The new UAS is comprised of two programs, Urban Partnerships and Community Capacity Support. According to a government news release, the new delivery model was developed in collaboration with the NAFC. This change “will result in more dollars going directly to supporting community organizations and projects.”

The details of the revamped UAS are still being worked out, said Cyr, but once the program gets underway, he expects approval for applications to go faster than they would with the federal government.

“It isn’t just about efficiency,” said Cyr. “It’s also about doing it better in terms of shared objectives.”

Cyr points out that the NAFC already has memorandums of understanding with the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Manitoba Métis Federation and has decades of experience delivering a wide variety of services from coast to coast to coast to all Aboriginal peoples. He also notes that many friendship centre boards have Métis members. He hopes to meet with all the Métis governments, including the MNC, as well as the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Assembly of First Nations, and Congress of Aboriginal Peoples to discuss collaboration.

Regional input will be important in establishing programs, said Cyr.

“It will be very specific to the regions. The needs in Nova Scotia are different from the needs in British Columbia,” he said. “We always allow room for that regional flavour to come in because you get basically more effective projects. It also allows you to spot opportunity and support opportunity.”

Chartier was also critical of the federal government giving funding for an economic program to what he considers a “provider of cultural-based programs.”

NAFC has a strong foundation of delivering economic programs, said Cyr, adding, “Culture can form a part of every part of your program. It is not necessarily the outcome… (but) culture becomes the method by which we do everything.”

Funding under the new UAS will not be available until after April 1.