2017-2022 Action Strategy for Cree Young People - Young Cree are motivated and ready to take charge of their future

QUEBEC CITY, May 28, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Under the auspices of its 2016-2021 Youth Action Strategy, which emanates from its 2030 Youth Policy, the Government of Quebec invites young people from Indigenous communities to step forward and create their own destiny. It was on this basis that the 2017-2022 Action Strategy for Cree Young People was developed, following a major consultation process with young people from the nine Cree communities present in Quebec.

The MNA for Ungava and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Mr. Jean Boucher, seized on the occasion of the 350^th anniversary of Waskaganish to present the key points of the Action Strategy for Cree Young People, which the Government of Quebec is supporting with annual investments of $400,000 over the course of the Strategy. Drafted by the Cree Nation Youth Council, at the request of the Cree government, the Strategy is founded on six main objectives:

• education and assistance in attaining school success;
• health care and healthy lifestyles;
• tradition and culture;
• employment and entrepreneurship;
• personal and social development;
• participation of citizens.

The Council has the mandate to encourage young Cree to get involved in their communities in order to take charge of their future, as well as to develop and implement measures which are culturally relevant and which respond to the realities identified by young people themselves.

Quotes:

"By making this financial contribution, the Government of Quebec encourages young members of the Cree Nation to take charge of their destiny by developing and implementing measures which respond to realities identified by young people themselves. Young people from 15 to 35 years of age make up 36 percent of the Cree population, and they are already active in their communities. We are therefore convinced that the Council will be successful in inspiring them to mobilize around projects arising from this Strategy, and that this will create long-term benefits on the territory and in the Cree communities."

Jean Boucher, MNA for Ungava and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks

"Young people are our future. This is even more true for Indigenous communities, whose members are younger than the provincial norm, and – most of all – full of potential. Under the auspices of its 2017-2022 Government Action Plan for the Social and Cultural Development of First Nations and Inuit, the Government of Quebec has therefore paid particular attention to Indigenous young people. We believe that it is therefore essential, even vital, to offer to Indigenous young people the opportunity to express themselves, to take a stand, and to participate in the democratic life of their communities and of Quebec as a whole. Young people from Cree communities are in a perfect position to identify solutions to the problems which their communities face, and this youth action plan, which is tailored to their needs, will allow them to contribute concretely to the future development of their communities."

Geoffrey Kelley, Minister responsible for Native Affairs

"As a result of the financial support announced today, the Youth Council is now in possession of all the necessary tools to act positively to ensure the future development and well-being of young Cree people. It is just as important that our Government support concrete measures which will inspire Cree young people. These young people represent the future of their communities, and we have a duty to accompany them so that they can develop their full potential and become real change agents in our society."

Luc Blanchette, Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, and Minister responsible for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec Regions

"Young Indigenous peoples share certain realities with young people in the rest of Quebec, but they have needs and realities which are uniquely their own and for which we must offer solutions which are culturally relevant and culturally meaningful. We can already observe that young Cree people are deeply involved in their future development. They undoubtedly want change and the tools to take charge of their destiny. Quebec's 2030 Youth Policy and the strategy we are announcing today, which arises from the Policy, will have the desired impact. I am happy that these documents support young people's already flourishing community involvement in Cree communities."

Karine Vallières, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier for Young People

Highlights

• Two other action strategies for Indigenous young people are already being developed – the Inuit youth strategy, which is being drafted by the Qarjuit Youth Council, and the Indigenous Youth Action Strategy, which is being drafted by the Youth Network of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, by Quebec Native Women, and by the Regroupement des centres d'amitié autochtones du Québec;
• The Premier of Quebec bears direct responsibility within the Government of Quebec for Quebec's 2030 Youth Policy. The Policy is a frame of reference and an opportunity for the government to breathe new life into its work with young people;
• The 2016-2021 Youth Action Plan contains the measures that the Government of Quebec will be funding with a view to achieving, over the course of a five-year period, the objectives set out in its 2030 Youth Policy;
• The 2017-2022 Government Action Plan for the Social and Cultural Development of First Nations and Inuit pays particular attention to Indigenous young people. It is designed to support Indigenous communities so that they can work with their young people to take charge of their destinies and offer services which will help young people to become active and engaged citizens who will be able to efficiently take centre stage in society, a role which is theirs and theirs alone, and which is necessary to the development and vitality of their communities and Quebec society as a whole;
• The 2017-2022 Action Strategy for Cree Young People aims to facilitate the development of capacities, leadership and love of life among young people in order to ensure that the Cree Nation and the Cree people have a better future to which to look forward;
• The Strategic Action Plan for Cree Young People aims to foster the creation, the funding and the implementation of programs designed to stimulate the future development of young Cree people. It provides for the funding of personal, collective and community projects which respond to the needs of this particular clientele, at both the local and the regional levels.

Useful Link :

• https://www.jeunes.gouv.qc.ca/

SOURCE Cabinet du ministre responsable des Affaires autochtones

For further information: Sources : Chantal Gauvin, Communications Director, Office of the Minister responsible for Native Affairs, Telephone : [phone]; Frédérique Brais-Chaput, Political Advisor, Office of the MNA for Ungava, 418-748-6046; For More Information : Jean Auclair, Media Relations Officer, Communications Department, Ministère du Conseil exécutif, Telephone : [phone], extension 4064