Thank you for having me here.
Madam Chair and honourable members, I want to thank you for inviting the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development department to appear before the committee. It's a privilege for us. Sheilagh Murphy and Jo-Ann Greene are also with me and can answer questions specific to social programs and matrimonial property.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, of course, continues to be deeply concerned about this issue and appreciates the opportunity to assist the special committee.
In the June 2011 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada committed to address the problem of violence against women and girls. The federal role is only one part of the overall efforts.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada supports aboriginal women, girls and families through funding for programs and services that directly address violence, such as the family violence prevention program. They also address violence indirectly through support for child and family services, on-reserve housing, economic security and prosperity, education and urban living.
Since 2006 the Government of Canada has invested approximately $205 million in the family violence prevention program. Economic action plan 2013 announced further funding of $24 million over two years for the program, allowing the department to continue to offer its programming at a funding level of approximately $30 million in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The investment contributes to the enhanced safety and security of on-reserve residents, particularly women and children.
The family violence prevention program provides funding to assist first nations in providing access to 41 family violence shelters and prevention activities to women, children, and families who are ordinarily resident on reserve. There are two components to the program: core shelter operating funding and proposal-based prevention projects in aboriginal communities.
Prevention projects may include public outreach and awareness, education campaigns, conferences, seminars, workshops, counselling, support groups, and community needs assessments. Since 2006 the family violence prevention program has funded 1,886 prevention projects that address family violence in aboriginal communities, 302 of which were supported in 2011 and 2012. They include the following projects.
The Alberta First Nations Regional Board for Family Violence Prevention is an example of prevention and partnerships. It manages the prevention project funding from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada for three treaty areas and has formed partnerships with other organizations in hosting a series of youth gatherings.
The Lac La Ronge Indian Child and Family Services Agency in Saskatchewan delivers a comprehensive program in four schools that offer high school education. The program includes students, teachers, parents, and communities in reducing violence and risk behaviours.
Also, the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach in Quebec currently delivers a multi-approach prevention project. It offers family violence education awareness workshops and radio talk shows in the community, parenting courses, training on bullying for teachers and school staff, workshops for children of alcoholic parents, and group sessions for alcoholics.
The project has also led to the development of a crisis intervention protocol for all partners involved in responding to family violence crises, such as the police and social, youth protection and native health workers.
The family violence prevention program also provides core funding of approximately $370,000 to the National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence, a national organization that supports aboriginal women's shelters and their staff through training fora, gatherings, development and distribution of resources, and research and collaboration with key partners.
The Government of Canada has also introduced legislation, the Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act, Bill S-2, which protects vulnerable men and women on reserve.
Bill S-2 seeks to provide basic rights and protections to individuals on reserve regarding the family home and other matrimonial interests or rights. The bill would also help to address incidents of family violence against aboriginal women and their children on reserves by providing for emergency protection orders that grant temporary exclusive occupation of the home. Through this legislation, the government is addressing a long-standing legislative gap and ensuring that women, children, and families on reserve can live in safe and stable home environments.
The health and safety of first nations children is also a primary concern for this government.
The first nations child and family services program provides funding to assist in ensuring the safety and well-being of first nations children on reserve by supporting culturally appropriate prevention and protection services. These services are provided in accordance with the legislation and standards of the province or territory of residence and in a manner that is reasonably comparable to those available to other provincial and territorial residents in similar circumstances within the department's programming authorities.
In 2007 the first nations child and family services began shifting to an enhanced prevention-focused approach. This is consistent with provincial practices, which have largely refocused their child and family services programs by placing greater emphasis on prevention services.
The implementation of the enhanced prevention-focused approach is expected to improve services, cohesion of the family, and life outcomes for first nations children and families on reserve. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada has increased funding for first nations child and family services dramatically over the past 16 years, from $193 million in 1996-97 to approximately $618 million in funding in 2012-13.
The enhanced prevention-focused approach is now being implemented in six provinces and is reaching approximately 68% of first nations children who live on reserve in Canada. Under the six current tripartite frameworks, more than $100 million per year in additional ongoing funding is now dedicated to implementing the new approach.
AANDC continues to share lessons learned and remains willing to work with other jurisdictions as they shift their own practices to enhance prevention. The government is also working to ensure that first nations students have access to education that encourages them to stay in school, graduate, and get the skills they need to enter the labour market. While the government invests significantly every year in first nations elementary and secondary education, we recognize that more remains to be done to make progress in improving outcomes.
In the economic action plan 2012, the Government of Canada committed $275 million for first nations education over three years for improving school infrastructure and to provide early literacy programming, as well as other supports and services to first nations schools and students, and to strengthen their relationship with the provincial school systems.
The Government of Canada is now consulting with first nations and other stakeholders on a proposed first nations education act, to be in place by September 2014. The purpose of the legislation is to establish the structures and standards to support strong and accountable education systems on reserve and to encourage students to stay in school and achieve better outcomes.
The government is also exploring mechanisms to ensure stable, predictable and sustainable funding for first nations elementary and secondary education.
An overarching goal of the Government of Canada's education programming remains to provide first nations students with quality education that provides them with the opportunity to acquire the skills needed to enter the labour market and to be full participants in a strong Canadian economy.
Perhaps the last thing I'd like to mention is that Aboriginal Affairs also provides support to national aboriginal women's organizations. In 2012-13, the Native Women's Association received approximately $1.5 million in project funding and annual core funding. This amount supports basic organization costs and provides a minimum level of capacity so that the organization can advise governments of its members' needs and interests.
In 2012-13, the Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada received approximately $1.4 million in basic organizational capacity funding and project funding from our department. These are some of the ways in which Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada is working to support and enhance the safety of aboriginal women.
We're certainly prepared to answer questions as best we can.