Question Period Note: Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples

We know that the needs and challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples in urban centres are unique and growing with the population.
Through Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples, we support organizations across the country, like friendship centres, to provide holistic and culturally-appropriate programs and services to Indigenous Peoples.
Budget 2019 committed $60 million over five years in infrastructure funding for Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples service providers.
This new investment will ensure that urban Indigenous Peoples have safe and accessible spaces to receive culturally-relevant services.

More than half of the Indigenous population in Canada lives in an urban centre. Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples is designed to assist First Nations (status and non status), Inuit, and Métis living in or transitioning to urban centres, and aims to address challenges faced by some of the most at-risk community members, including Indigenous women.
Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples was created in 2017 based on feedback received during the 2016 comprehensive engagement process on the Urban Aboriginal Strategy. Budget 2017 provided $118.5 million over 5 years to fund the new programming, totalling support to $53 million per year. Funding is provided through four streams: Organizational Capacity, Programs and Services, Coalitions, and Research and Innovation. Distinctions-based funding includes specific allocations for friendship centres, the Métis Nation, and the Inuit.
Many of the facilities where service providers operate need significant retrofitting or rebuilt complete rebuild to provide the programs and services that clients have come to rely on. Budget 2019 announced $60 million over five years to support investments in both major and minor infrastructure projects to ensure that Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples service providers deliver culturally-appropriate programs and services in safe and accessible facilities.

Funding for Friendship Centres

We recognize the important role Friendship Centres play across Canada to support urban Indigenous Peoples.
Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples provides core and project funding totaling $31 million annually to the Friendship Centre movement, which includes a network of approximately 120 Friendship Centres across Canada. ‎
Budget 2019 infrastructure investments will support Friendship Centres, which deliver the majority of Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples.