Canadian Heritage Committee on Nov. 22nd, 2011

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

We're very pleased today to have a couple of guests as witnesses for our study on Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017. We have Jeffrey Cyr, from the National Association of Friendship Centres, and Clément Chartier, president of the Métis National Council. Welcome to you two gentlemen.

We're scheduled to go to about 10:15 with our witnesses and questions. Then we'll have half an hour for committee business. We'd like to discuss in committee business December's agenda as well as the motion by Mr. Benskin.

With that, we'll get started. We'll start with you, Mr. Chartier. You have ten minutes for your opening comments. The floor is yours.

[Clément Chartier, President, Métis National Council]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, committee members, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today.

First, let me provide a brief overview of the Métis National Council. We are the national government of the Métis Nation in that part of our historic homeland encompassing the prairie provinces, and extending into Ontario and British Columbia. Our homeland also extends into the Northwest Territories, in the northwestern United States, historically known as the old Northwest. We represent approximately 400,000 people, about one-third of the total aboriginal population in Canada.

Our five provincial affiliated organizations or governing members all use province-wide ballot box elections for determining their leadership, and adhere to the same Métis Nation citizenship code in registering their citizens. They administer and deliver a variety of government programs and services in areas such labour market development, business financing and economic development, housing, child and family services, education, and culture.

Your study of Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017 affords Canadians the opportunity to reflect on how they wish to relate to confederation. It has particular significance to the Métis Nation, the founders of Canada's first post-confederation province, Manitoba. Our ancestors, for the most part, were not directly affected by the events in 1867 because they did not reside in the four confederating provinces. They lived in Rupert's Land and in North-Western Territory, both of which were controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company. Originally of mixed offspring of indigenous women and European fur traders, they evolved into a distinct people with their own culture, language, and political consciousness. They played an instrumental role in the fur trade economy as traders, boatmen, provisioners, merchants, and interpreters.

While they were not part of the negotiations leading to the Constitution Act 1867, our ancestors were impacted greatly by its enactment. A major impetus behind political union was the desire of expansionists to push westward in order to reach and unite with the colony of British Columbia. A transcontinental railroad would spur this westward expansion and settlement. The national sentiment fueled by this expansionism expressed itself in a Canadian version of manifest destiny.

Little attention was paid to those occupying the vast expanse of territory between the Canadian confederating provinces and the Pacific. By 1867, the population of the Red River settlement, one of the largest settlements on the plains of North America west of the Mississippi and north of the Missouri, consisted of 9,800 Métis and 1,600 whites. This was a community that lay in the path of the new Dominion of Canada as it began its march from sea to sea.

In 1867 the Hudson's Bay Company sold Rupert's Land to the Dominion of Canada for £300,000 and one-twentieth of the territory's fertile land. During the negotiation of the sale, no provision was made for the rights of the Métis majority in the Red River settlement that was expected to become part of a territory governed directly by Ottawa.

In the words of historian W.L. Morton, one of the greatest transfers of territory and sovereignty in history was concluded as a mere transaction in real estate. The response of our ancestors in 1869 was to establish the first Métis provisional government under Louis Riel, which took control of the Red River settlement. It drafted a list of rights demanding no less than provincehood, and sent emissaries to Ottawa to negotiate the terms of admission of Manitoba as a province into Confederation through the Manitoba Act.

Unlike the confederating provinces, Manitoba would not have control over public lands as compensation. Section 31 of the Manitoba Act provided for a land grant of 1.4 million acres of land for the children of Métis heads of families. A process for distributing these lands to the Métis, envisaged by the lieutenant-governor of the province to take one or two years at the most, took more than a decade for the federal government to administer.

Amidst a rapid influx of hostile settlers from Ontario moving onto their traditional lands, the vast majority of the Métis moved on. Their proportion of Manitoba's population dropped from 83% in 1870, to 7% in 1886. Our leader, Louis Riel, was three times elected to the House of Commons, but he was denied his seat. Nevertheless, in 1871 he led the Métis against the Fenian invasion force of the United States in defence of the province of his creation.

The continuing failure of the federal government to address Métis land claims in 1884-85 led to the formation of the second Métis provisional government in the Saskatchewan Valley, again under Riel's leadership. The federal response was an armed invasion, leading to the North-West Resistance of 1885, the defeat of the Métis Nation at the Battle of Batoche, and the execution of Louis Riel on November 16, 1885.

The background I have provided is of more than just historical interest. A 30-year battle in the courts over the unfulfilled Métis land grants under the Manitoba Act, which has been driven by our governing member, the Manitoba Métis Federation, will reach the Supreme Court of Canada on December 13. This case will likely alter the way in which the federal government views the rights of the Métis, as the Manitoba Court of Appeal has already upheld certain principles that should have significant implications going forward.

I believe Canada's 150th anniversary provides an opportunity for Canadians and their governments to reflect on what has happened in the wake of Confederation. Confederation and the federal system of government was a means of accommodating regions and cultures within a state. Through Riel's provisional government and the Manitoba Act, the Métis established themselves as one of Canada's founding peoples or nations. Despite this historical fact, we, the Métis Nation, must struggle to have our existence recognized and our aspirations realized.

While recognition has been slow in coming, there has been some progress. In 1992 Parliament unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the unique and historic role of Louis Riel as a founder of Manitoba. In 2010 Parliament and a number of provincial legislatures declared the “Year of the Métis” in order to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the North-West Resistance of 1885, the Battle of Batoche, and the execution of Louis Riel.

I believe this committee should recommend that Confederation commemorations recognize the historical contributions of the Métis Nation as a founding people who had to rise in resistance in order to enter Confederation. Furthermore, I encourage this committee to start giving serious thought to the 150th anniversary of Manitoba in 2020, with particular focus on the historical and contemporary role of the Métis Nation in its development.

Given this committee's oversight over Heritage Canada and the country's historical and culture sites and institutions, one of the greatest contributions this committee can make is to encourage Heritage Canada and national cultural institutions to support the development and expansion of Métis Nation heritage sites. The Métis National Council's governing member in Alberta, the Métis Nation of Alberta, owns and operates Métis Crossing, Alberta's premier centre for Métis cultural interpretation, approximately 100 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. The council's governing member in Saskatchewan, the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, sponsors a major annual heritage and tourism event, Back to Batoche Days, at the Batoche historical site near Saskatoon. The Manitoba Métis Federation is working on the establishment of a national Métis museum in the future heritage park at the site of Upper Fort Gary in Winnipeg.

Another important contribution your committee can make is to encourage Heritage Canada and national cultural institutions to support the expansion plans of the Métis national cultural and education institutions. Prime examples are the Gabriel Dumont Institute in Saskatoon, the Louis Riel Institute in Winnipeg, and the Rupertsland Institute in Edmonton.

Other concrete measures that can be taken by your committee include recommending to the federal government that fiscal resources be provided to our governments and institutions so that we can save our Michif language, and that as part of the preparations for the 150th anniversary Canada take into account that the Métis Nation flag will be 200 years old in 2015.

On that note, Mr. Chair, I'll be happy to respond to any questions you may have later.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Thank you for your presentation.

On to you, Mr. Cyr.

[Jeffrey Cyr, Executive Director, National Association of Friendship Centres]

Good morning, Mr. Chair and distinguished members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

I wish to acknowledge the traditional lands of the Algonquin Nation upon which we are meeting today. And I want to thank you and the committee for the opportunity to present to you on Canada's upcoming 150th birthday in 2017 on behalf of my organization. I'll talk a little bit about that first.

I'm Jeff Cyr. I'm a Métis from the Métis Nation in Manitoba. I'm executive director of the National Association of Friendship Centres. This is my first official presentation to your committee in my capacity as the executive director. My president sends her regrets. She's off to another event here in town.

The National Association of Friendship Centres comprises 119 urban, community-based, aboriginal-controlled service organizations from coast to coast to coast in Canada. They are assisted in their work by six provincial and territorial associations, and of course, by our national office here in Ottawa.

The early history of the friendship centre movement is found in the cities of Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver, starting in the 1950s. The history and evolution of the friendship centre movement has been one of continual focus on meeting the health, social, economic, educational, employment, cultural, language, and transitional needs of first nations, Métis, and Inuit people in urban centres in our country.

Friendship centres do not just provide invaluable services to the urban aboriginal people who utilize the programs. The movement also provides employment opportunities at the local, regional, and national levels. Combined, the movement employs over 2,600 people, of which 72% are women.

The overall purpose of friendship centres in Canada is to improve the life chances of and the opportunities for the urban aboriginal population in our country. Our continuum of services includes prenatal programming, healthy babies, the head start program, youth programming, mental health and wellness, lifelong care, diabetes clinics, and drug and alcohol prevention, all of which are vital programs that help to address the spiralling cost of healthcare in Canada.

We also provide education-related programming, which includes literacy, alternative high schools, and of course, the previously mentioned head start program for young children. Friendship centres also provide employment and training programs, coupled with economic development support services, which help urban aboriginal people establish secure futures for their families.

While friendship centres have had long-term success in offering and delivering these vital services, we confront many challenges. Some are demographic realities. Others pertain to organization and human and fiscal capacity.

The urban aboriginal population in Canada continues to increase. In 1996, it was 47%. In 2001, it was 49%. In 2006, it was 54%. We anticipate that it's close to 60% today. As well, our population is young: 48% of the population is under the age of 25. These demographic realities place strong pressures on the human and fiscal capacities of our centres, especially in light of the fact that federal core funding of the aboriginal friendship centres program has been frozen at $16 million since 1989.

Throughout our history, friendship centres have been places of social innovation that have required employees to be creative in finding resources to meet the full scope of needs among urban aboriginal peoples. Friendship centres generally turn five cents of federal funding into $1 of services by seeking and securing funding from other sources. Friendship centres in our provincial and territorial organizations also have productive and well-established relationships with municipal, provincial, and territorial governments. These relationships provide additional funding, which is utilized to offer the cadre of programs and services I mentioned earlier.

The national association has fostered strong relationships with the federal government. We have worked on various issues with the Public Health Agency, Health Canada, Corrections Canada, the RCMP, HRSDC, Statistics Canada, and Parliament, through the all-party friendship centre caucus, which is co-chaired by Jean Crowder and Chris Warkentin.

The national association is also fostering strong relationships with several universities in Canada through our Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network. Our relationship with these universities is central to a research proposal we have submitted to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. We hosted a very successful national health conference in February of this year.

We are also working hand in hand with the Office of the Federal Interlocutor.

As you see, the friendship centre movement is busy in Canada. I've not highlighted our international work and efforts. We are very busy, and we need to be. The urban aboriginal population is dynamic: it's growing, and it's young.

Priorities for the movement include health, employment, training, youth programming, economic development, the social economy, crime prevention, creating safe communities, protecting first nations, Métis, and Inuit heritages in urban environments, and protecting Mother Earth.

In 2017 Canada will be celebrating its 150th birthday, and you have asked us here today to provide you with our thoughts regarding this.

I'm sure you are prepared to hear from us and from other aboriginal organizations that the history and relationships with first nations, the Métis Nation, and Inuit have not always been positive and that we are all trying to find ways to reconcile these relationships. Indeed, the apology delivered by the Prime Minister and other federal party leaders in 2008 was a huge step in the right direction. Canada's endorsement of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last year was a strong second step, and tonight I will be attending an event hosted by the NDP in honour of the declaration.

Canada cannot divest itself of the roles and place that aboriginal peoples have played in the history of this country. Simply, the name Canada itself is an aboriginal word, as are many other places and names in this country, including Ottawa, Quebec, and Manitoba. Therefore, any celebration of Canada's birthday, including its upcoming 150th, must be inclusive of our rich cultures, traditions, and societies.

As John Ralston Saul states in his book A Fair Country: Telling Truths about Canada, Canada is a country heavily influenced and shaped by aboriginal peoples.

I would even advance for your consideration that the pre-history of Canada be included as an integral part of upcoming celebrations. Recently I have been reading the book 1491, a book that I feel accurately reflects and describes the richness of aboriginal cultures and societies prior to first contact. This book describes the deep and thriving aboriginal societies that existed prior to contact, with aboriginal populations that were very large—much larger than we have in today's Canada.

We would suggest that, leading up to 2017, serious efforts be made to support the reconciliation that is occurring in our country. Bridges of understanding and mutual respect need to be built between Canadians and the indigenous peoples of these lands.

In my opening I acknowledged the land we are on and upon which Parliament sits, as those are the traditional lands of the Algonquin Nation. I do this not just as a passing message, but as one who recognizes the many-centuries-old care of these lands by indigenous peoples.

As we move towards 2017, the NAFC and our member friendship centres are willing and able partners in commemoration activities in support of Canada's 150th anniversary. Friendship centres are vibrant community spaces that support cross-cultural education and offer opportunities for dialogue between Canadians and aboriginal peoples, to come together to listen, learn, and share in a spirit of friendship and respect.

Let us together set reconciliation as a strong goal to be achieved by 2017. Let us sit together to set the agenda and work plan for this, and let us both play vital roles in achieving this. If we work together on this, I know we can make significant steps to advance this among all of our populations. It is for the better of Canada and it's for the better of all our citizens and nations.

Thank you for your kind attention. Meegwetch.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Thank you, Mr. Cyr.

Thank you both for your presentations.

Before we go to our rounds of questioning, I just want to inform the committee that at some point during our committee meeting there's going to be a delegation coming in from Bangladesh. There are four members of Parliament, as well as eight parliamentary staff, who are here to study how our committee system works in Canada and to learn some best practices, so I guess we'll have to be on our best behaviour at that point. They're going to be coming in at some point, just in case you're wondering.

Mr. Calandra, the floor is yours.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you both for attending. I'm wondering if either of you have any experience or can talk about your experiences with the Vancouver Olympics and how first nations and Métis were treated during that, how they were involved in any preparations, and what their experiences were at Vancouver.

[Clément Chartier]

Thank you for the question.

The Métis Nation was involved. We signed an agreement or some kind of protocol with the four host first nations. We were accorded every opportunity. Our youth were directly involved. We had our time at the first nations house, and we were invited to various openings, receptions, and so forth.

For the Métis Nation, we have no room for complaint. We commend the four host first nations, the organizers of the Olympic Games, and I guess the Prime Minister and the Governor General for inviting us to the receptions. It was a good experience for us. It was a very good experience for our youth, who participated throughout the Olympics and were part of the opening ceremonies. One of the big highlights for me was when the youth walked in and they announced the Métis Nation. It was a great opportunity for us. We had difficulties in getting ourselves out there, and that was a big moment for us. We were involved as well in the torch relay. We had our youth along the way, and some of our elders.

All I can say is that it was a very good experience

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Do you have any comments at all?

[Jeffrey Cyr]

No, we weren't really engaged within that.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

The reason I asked is I was trying also to facilitate ways we can involve people properly when we're planning for Canada's 150th celebrations, and of course the Vancouver Olympics were an incredible success for a number of different reasons.

You did mention briefly getting people out there. I'm assuming you're talking about the costs and the logistics of travelling and moving people. That's interesting, because that's something we talked about in our last meeting, getting people out and about, and it's something we're hearing again.

You also, Mr. Chartier, in your comments talked about some infrastructure projects that you'd like to see as part of the 150th. I'm wondering if you could go over a couple of them again. In particular, you mentioned a language component. I wonder if you would talk a little bit more about that, and again touch on the infrastructure things that you were mentioning.

[Clément Chartier]

We have several institutions, primarily in the prairie provinces, where we've been organized the longest and where the majority of our population lives. Primarily, our relationship has been with the provincial governments in terms of on-the-ground delivery of educational and cultural programs and services. There are some major initiatives we'd like to do. For example, under the infrastructure stimulus program, we were excluded from the budget round. We were asked to put in proposals, and we did. We put in proposals for building up Batoche and for educational infrastructure in Saskatchewan. We put in proposals for developing a national museum at The Forks in Winnipeg, and one for Métis Crossing in Alberta, and for an educational centre in Abbotsford.

In the end, the Prime Minister pushed through two projects: one for Alberta and one for B.C. The catch, we found out later, was that we had to have matching dollars, so I don't think we actually took advantage of that.

We still see the need to build up those cultural and educational institutions. In particular, as I mentioned in the brief, the Manitoba Métis Federation, on behalf of the Métis Nation, is seeking to establish a national museum at The Forks, in conjunction with, I believe they're called “Friends of The Forks”. It's something we've been trying to do for the last 20 years, to have a place to keep our heritage and to promote our culture. We find that The Forks in Winnipeg would be the ideal place.

In Batoche, we're looking at continuing to build up the infrastructure and making it a tourism destination. Doing so would meet some of our economic development needs as well as our cultural needs.

These are some examples. We'd also like to look at the possibility of having museums in our communities, one or two throughout the provinces. We don't really have any. For example, I'm from northwest Saskatchewan, and for a number of years we've been looking at how we could establish a museum, sort of an interpretation centre, and we still haven't found a way to do that.

In terms of the language, the Métis evolved as a distinct people some 400 years ago. As the Supreme Court of Canada said in the Powley case, Métis rights are based on the customs, practices, and traditions of the Métis as they developed prior to effective control by Europeans, as opposed to pre-contact. So we have our customs and cultures, our traditions, our clothing. Our language is made up basically of French nouns and Cree grammar or verbs, or whatever it's called. But it's a language that's recognized as a language. Unfortunately, it's a dying language, as are several other aboriginal languages. Michif is unique in the world, and it's something we feel should be preserved. We would hope that Heritage Canada would continue its program of financing our ability to not only retain but also promote the language.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Thank you.

At this point, I would like to welcome our guests from the Republic of Bangladesh. Thank you for joining us here today for our committee meetings. We're in the middle of a meeting, so we're going to carry on, but I do want to recognize some of the chairs of committees who are here.

The chair of the committee on social welfare, the chair of the committee on agriculture, the chair of the committee on labour and employment, and the chair of the committee on fisheries and livestock are joining us here today. Welcome to all of you, as well as to your parliamentary staff. We hope you enjoy your stay here in Canada, and we hope you learn something from our best practices.

We discussed before you came in that we were going to try to be on our best behaviour while we have guests here, so welcome to all of you.

Now we'll turn it over to Madam Boutin-Sweet.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Gentlemen, thank you for agreeing to appear before us today. Welcome also to our guests.

Today, and for some time previously, we have been talking about Canada's 150th anniversary. But first nations have been on this land for quite some time longer, at least 12,000 years, and probably much longer than that. A lot has happened in that time. Colonialism, of course, has left its mark. Some land claims have been met with a yes, others by a no. It has varied a lot.

As well, some witnesses have talked to us about a survey that indicated how Canadians are reacting to the desire to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary. But in those statistics, there were no precise figures about first nations.

Perhaps Mr. Chartier could talk about the Métis nation. Mr. Cyr, I am not sure if you feel able to speak for first nations in general, or for the Odawa nation. Still, I would be interested in knowing how first nations are reacting to the celebrations planned for Canada's 150th anniversary.

You can both answer, in whichever order you prefer.

[Clément Chartier]

Thank you for that.

If I understand you correctly, the Métis Nation, of course, sees the 150th anniversary as an important milestone for Canada.

At the current time the Métis Nation, as represented by the Métis National Council, is still pursuing its mandate. In 1983 we withdrew from what was known as the Native Council of Canada, now the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, because we were a significant minority in a national body we created in 1971, the three prairie Métis organizations.

We were invited at that time to participate in constitutional conferences following repatriation of the Constitution from Great Britain. We were successful in getting a seat at the table. The raison d'être of the Métis National Council is to promote the right of self-determination and to acquire a land base. It basically spells out to a land base and self-government, but we've decided that it would be within the state of Canada. That is, not outside of Canada, but within it we're looking at that space.

We see the formation of Canada in 1867 as the four confederating provinces, and in 1870 the joining of Manitoba, which was at that time a province with a Métis majority population. We saw an accommodation at that time, which didn't happen. In fact, there was dispossession and, to this day, exclusion.

The Métis people, by and large, are excluded totally from the land claims processes of the federal government. We were excluded from the Prime Minister's apology. Those who went to Métis residential schools were excluded from the settlement agreement. We were excluded from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission mandate. We are excluded from First Nations and Inuit Health Branch services to status Indians and Inuit. So it's basically a story of exclusion.

What we're hoping is to find accommodation within Canada as a people, as a nation with true reconciliation based on re-acquiring our land base and having the freedom to be self-governing as one of the three orders of government in Canada, which is guaranteed to us by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, wherein the federal government's position is that the inherent right of self-government is already in there; it's just negotiating what it means.

We see that as a necessary requirement, and the 150th anniversary, which gives us some five years, is a great opportunity for us to work out a true reconciliation of the Métis people, the Métis Nation, within a united Canada.

At the front I have a Métis Nation protocol signed in September of 2008 with the federal government. One of the provisions in there is to address outstanding rights, including land rights, so we do have a framework to move forward with in connection with the federal government. We haven't triggered that potential, but at my last meeting with Minister Duncan several weeks ago we agreed to begin looking at that issue, particularly in light of the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada, on December 13 of this year, is going to hear the appeal of the Manitoba Métis Federation dealing with the 1.4 million acres of land that were guaranteed in the Constitution in 1870, which we say we in the end did not get. But that's a decision the court will have to deal with.

We do realize that we have to begin meeting on that, because there are going to be principles of law coming out of that decision—and some already have come out of the Manitoba Court of Appeal—which is going to change the relationship between the Métis Nation and the federal government, regardless of the outcome of that case.

As well, in 1994 the Métis of northwest Saskatchewan, the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, and the Métis National Council filed a claim for the total of northwest Saskatchewan, claiming that we still have existing aboriginal title and rights and self-government within that territory, as the system used for dispossession of the Métis following 1870, a system known as scrip, which was dealing with Métis as individuals as opposed to collectives, was so vitiated by fraud that the Métis were basically just dispossessed of our land without legitimacy on the part of Canada. That is another case. But if we can settle it through a political process, that certainly would be a lot better than having to deal with the courts.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you.

What do you think, Mr. Cyr?

[Jeffrey Cyr]

I wouldn't attempt to speak for all the other nations in the country, by any means, but I will provide some perspective on what I think about the issue of the 150th birthday and perhaps the perspective of some aboriginal people within my organization.

I believe there would be a strong desire to celebrate it as much as the rest of Canada would. Of course, there is a long history behind that, as Mr. Chartier pointed out on the Métis side, and on the first nation and Inuit side as well. It is not always a pretty history with aboriginal people.

In terms of where aboriginal people are, in my organization when we deal with 60%-plus of the aboriginal population in urban centres, we are dealing with, to be honest, the real low end of the social strata on almost every indicator that you can possibly imagine. On health, education, welfare, you name it, the aboriginal people are at the bottom of those indicators in Canada. I think if we come to look at ourselves in Canada in terms of how we are making progress within this country after 150 years, we need to come to terms with the place of aboriginal people within our society.

One way, I would politely suggest, is that we could have legacy projects beside those just celebrating the history; there's also going forward and how we encourage this very large youth population to be economic participants within society.

When I look at the programs by which friendship centres run, the major programs, I see that they have been, in my opinion, structurally impoverished since the late 1980s--with not even cost-of-living increases--so whether that is the friendship centre program itself, which is run by the Department of Canadian Heritage, which your committee oversees.... Even for the cultural connections for aboriginal youth, for youth programs, the funding has not changed in over 20 years for some of these programs.

So when we talk about a legacy, I would suggest maybe it's a legacy of investment in the future of the country through young people, including through things like language, through Michif and the other aboriginal languages as well, to preserve the 50-plus aboriginal languages within the country. This is a certain sort of perspective that aboriginal people might have coming toward the 150th birthday of the country, when they are struggling to make ends meet, struggling to go to school, struggling to find housing in urban settings, and struggling to raise their families and children. So that is perhaps a different perspective to put on the celebration.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Thank you, Mr. Cyr.

Mr. Simms.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Thank you, Chair.

I've had this question prepared for the last 10 to 15 minutes, and I think during the proceeding two minutes you've just answered it, so I'm not sure what to say any more.

I am very taken aback by the statistics that are here and what you presented, in that 48% are under the age of 25. That's a substantial number for such a low age--certainly under 25. According to the 2006 census, 54% of the roughly 1.2 million aboriginal people live in urban centres. That is an increase from 50% since 1996, over 10 years.

I see what you mean by the friendship centres and the vital role they are playing, and certainly they are worthy of our attention. That being said, the number that I think is most striking is that number of 48% under the age of 25. The 150 celebration certainly is an exercise in discovery, not just for all of Canada to understand the heritage of Métis, but also for young Métis as well. It is a golden opportunity to introduce them into a national conversation.

Do you think the friendship centre concept and the network of friendship centres represent a good opportunity for Canada 150 to invest in as a legacy project?

[Jeffrey Cyr]

The short answer is absolutely.

The long answer to the question is how do we responsibly deal with the issues the country has created over 200 to 300 years of history? I think that would show a maturity in terms of us as a country dealing with the issues. I think it deals with the future of Canada as well, 48% of the population being under the age of 25—that's your future labour force. That's the future of the country, and if you want to celebrate Canada at 175 in a positive way, I think we need to deal with the issue now.

That's also the future workforce of the country. There's a huge aboriginal population in Métis and first nations communities who want to work, who want to go to school, who want to participate in the booming economy in many areas like Saskatchewan, Alberta, and other areas and be engaged within it.

Youth programming is critical: investing in friendship centres and other institutions to bring youth in, both through education and family programming, those key elements of the responsible social democracy that we are. That's a real legacy project for Canada at its 150th, to reinvest in its own people that way.

So the answer to that is yes, absolutely.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Chartier, would you like to respond to that as well?

[Clément Chartier]

I think the friendship centres have a role to play and a very important role. Of course, so do the Métis Nation governments within the provinces. A substantial number of our people live in urban centres, and a lot of our people are engaged as well in the friendship centre movement, so I believe there is a space for that.

In fact, we are looking at signing some kind of protocol agreement between the National Association of Friendship Centres and ourselves. I know at the provincial level the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Métis Nation of Alberta have signed agreements with the provincial counterparts just so we don't overlap unnecessarily on programs that we can see being delivered by either one or both, because there are a lot of social issues out there. I would see that there is an opportunity.

In terms of youth, the unfortunate thing about youth funding, particularly for the Métis Nation, is that funding was cut off about three years ago for our national youth body. So they haven't really been very active nationally—

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

What was that under? Can you describe that program?

[Clément Chartier]

Well, one was called UMAYC, Urban Métis Aboriginal....

[Jeffrey Cyr]

Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres.

[Clément Chartier]

That was the primary funder, and then there was some funding under employment and training itself, some components, but those have gone away.

I think that is still in place under a different name, but more at the local and provincial levels, not at the national level, so our youth don't have that capacity to get together as much as they should, except on a project basis. So there is much room for youth engagement.