Question Period Note: Crime in community

N.A.

• First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people, like all Canadians, deserve to feel safe and secure in their communities.

• The Government of Canada’s goal is to strengthen local capacity to prevent violence and crime, and we recognize the importance of Indigenous-led approaches to safety and well-being, including the need for non-enforcement safety services that provide culturally safe and appropriate community supports.

• Through the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is providing $120 million over 5 years (2021-26) to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and partners, on- and off-reserve, to implement Indigenous-designed projects improving community safety and well-being.

Announced in Budget 2021, the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative provides $103.8 million over 5 years, starting in 2021-22, to assist First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and partners, both on and off-reserve, to implement Indigenous-designed projects to improve community safety and well-being. On November 28, 2022, the Government of Canada announced an additional investment of $20 million over four years to top up the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities initiative.

The Pathways Initiative aims to fund services for Indigenous communities, women, children, and families across Canada – including First Nations, Inuit, Métis, urban, and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual + (2SLGBTQI+) people. Funding recipients provide Indigenous Peoples with community services that are developed and implemented through an Indigenous lens, targeting the specific safety and well-being needs of the communities. The intention of the program is to assist Indigenous individuals and communities to:
• support the development and delivery of culturally relevant and community/organization identity specific safety and well-being initiatives
• address community safety and well-being needs that support reconciliation, resiliency, and capacity of Indigenous communities/organizations and their members, contribute to and promote a sense of belonging of community members, address intergenerational trauma, address systemic barriers and biases within existing systems, recognize the impact of lived experiences
• support Indigenous designed interventions and Indigenous definitions of safe, secure and resilient communities
In addition to Indigenous Services Canada, Public Safety Canada ensures coordination across all federal departments and agencies responsible for national security and the safety of Canadians, and has an overarching mandate to keep Canadians safe from risks such as crime. Initiatives such as the National Crime Prevention Strategy, the Northern Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund, the Aboriginal Community Safety Development Contribution Program, the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program, and the Emergency Management and Community Resilience Programs contribute to a broader, integrated safety framework that combines national policy with localized, culturally grounded interventions.

If pressed on Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative

• This initiative supports projects that recognize the importance of traditional knowledge practices and contribute to greater community safety for Indigenous Peoples.

• To proactively support community protection and well-being, a holistic approach must also include complementary, Indigenous-led initiatives which offer a broad spectrum of community support.

• Projects include after-school programs for youth, safe streets and transportation initiatives, land-based activities, and culture and language programming, as well as initiatives to support the safety and well-being of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.