Question Period Note: The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC)

• Our government is renewing the relationship with Indigenous peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership.

• When Indigenous women are empowered, their families, communities, and all of Canada benefit.

• The Canada-Native Women’s Association of Canada Accord, signed in early 2019, establishes a mechanism to ensure the voices of Indigenous women are heard and reflected.

BACKGROUND
NWAC is a national non-profit Indigenous organization representing the political voice of Indigenous women throughout Canada. Incorporated in 1974, NWAC works to advance the well-being and equality of women through advocacy, education, research and policy. An aggregate of 12 Indigenous women’s organizations across the country, NWAC was founded on the collective goal to enhance, promote, and foster the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of Indigenous women within their respective communities and Canadian societies.
NWAC works on a variety of issues such as environment, employment and labour, health, violence prevention and safety, human rights, and international affairs. CIRNAC has a collaborative and effective working relationship with NWAC on many key federal priorities including Descheneaux (Bill S-3) and pre Inquiry work on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
While NWAC is not part of the Permanent Bilateral Mechanism, they play a crucial role in ensuring that the unique needs and interests of Indigenous women are considered in the co-development of all policy, program and legislative initiatives. The importance of their role in furthering the reconciliation and the feminist government agendas was underlined by the Prime Minister at the January 2017 meeting with the organization. CIRNAC, on behalf of the federal government finalized an Accord setting out a process for collaboration and co-development of shared priorities. The Accord was signed on February 1, 2019 and provided funding of $7.3 million over three years. In 2019-20, NWAC received core funding of $1 million plus $2.1 million in enhanced funding for a total of $3.1 million in “core and core-like” funding.
In addition, the NWAC received project funding from the Consultation and Policy Development budget: 411,280 in 2019-20 as well as $295,288 for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls engagement.

If pressed on Voices of Indigenous Women
• The voices of Indigenous women are essential to the journey of reconciliation.

• That is why we have:
o provided $7.3 million to support the Native Women’s Association of Canada Accord;
o provided $295,288 to support NWAC’s engagement on the co-development of the National Action Plan on MMIWG; and
o over the last three years increased core Organizational Capacity funding for the Native Women’s Association of Canada by 67%.

• We will continue to work in partnership with NWAC to make progress on issues important to Indigenous women.