Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contribution of the 114 friendship centres across Canada.
These centres provide vital services to aboriginal peoples, including job training and placement, literacy, advanced education, child care and substance abuse counselling.
Forty years of experience and a large volunteer base provide friendship programs with the ability to address aboriginal needs in a culturally relevant and fiscally responsible way.
It is important that we continue to support our nation's friendship centres. We need to help strengthen the network of support services they have built. We need to ensure that friendship centres can continue to offer their important services to aboriginal Canadians now and tomorrow.