Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Poverty comes in so many different shapes and forms. Urban indigenous people and, say, homelessness, unless you are in a shelter, is almost an invisible problem, because they're probably on a friend's couch or somewhere else and they may not have sustainable housing. There are s

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think it is about realizing that there is a place for a clinical side and there is a place for a traditional and cultural side, and that those things don't have to be separate. We have examples where friendship centres' programs or their mental health programs are preferred to

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I have some experience with mental health first aid, but not in its adaptation. I think there should be space, because we all know certain things have to be standardized and we need to be able to do certain things. I think an important thing is looking at what Yancy said, that it

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think if there were a strategic approach by the government to look at mental health and suicide, and then it were multi-jurisdictional, say, or interdepartmental, and you invited people to the table, whether it's NAFC or whether it's friendship centres, we could reach out to al

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  If you go to most friendship centres' youth programs.... The reason they are so successful—and we have tried to say this in any way possible—is that having a young indigenous person be confident in who they are as an indigenous person and know their culture makes them significant

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I've been to Kenora. One of my best friends is from Fort Frances. She was the president of our aboriginal youth council when I was on the youth council. She was heavily involved when we did our strategic plan, and suicide prevention came up as a huge issue. We couldn't get anyon

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm not aware of any specifically. I could always ask, reach out to the Ontario federation and see. This is the thing: every region and every friendship centre is different. Every friendship centre has an independent board, voluntarily elected by their communities. Unless it's a

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think our biggest example is the youth piece. They came together as young people from every region to build this piece, to reach out across the country, to try to find that common piece with all of them. It was all led by young people. They reached out to other young people, fo

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I work with all the friendship centres in the Atlantic region, so I hear it every day. We had a technical call yesterday and a lot of the regional people were saying they are hearing a lot of the friendship centres' concerns as well. It goes back to the shift in friendship centre

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  A lot of friendship centres have not just operation programming or whatever, they also have a lot of other programs and services. A lot of the time this isn't the only delay in funding. A lot of friendship centres have other programs that are also delayed. It's really challenging

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I don't find it challenging. This is the thing: A lot of Canadians, even in my own province, have this idea that indigenous people live on reserve, that that is where they all are. They don't think that I have access to an elder who's lived in St. John's for 40 years, who speaks

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Don't assume that something is going to work for everyone. One thing I like to tell people is that I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad I'm able to be here talking for the National Association of Friendship Centres, because the urban piece is really important. It is also important to unde

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It depends upon to which friendship centre you go. If you go to the friendship centre in Halifax, they do upgrading, GEDs, acquiring a high school certificate, working toward training. Other friendship centres have alternative schools. It really depends on the relationship they h

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'll take a portion, and you take a portion.