Government of Canada supports Indigenous organization in New Brunswick to ensure greater access to justice

Project will be a collaboration between Indigenous peoples, police, legal institutions, and media

FREDERICTON, NB, Aug. 30, 2019 /CNW/ - Gender-based violence holds us all back. It has long-lasting and negative health, social and economic effects that can span generations, often leading to cycles of violence within families and sometimes whole communities. We all benefit when women, girls, and people of all gender identities and expressions, are able to live their lives to the fullest.

That is why today, Matt DeCourcey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for Fredericton, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, announced federal funding for a project that will help improve access to the justice system for off-reserve Indigenous families and communities in New Brunswick.

The New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council (NBAPC) will receive $441,769 to expand its successful Looking Out for Each Other project, a community driven initiative that assists families and communities when an Indigenous woman goes missing. It develops and implements effective practices to assist families and communities in dealing with the legal system and the media. Appropriate and responsive tools will be developed and implemented such as checklists and protocols for police and public education and awareness tools for lawyers and journalists, building on needs that communities have identified in reporting missing Indigenous women and girls. The results of this expansion will be shared with other communities and stakeholder organizations.

Quotes

"We have heard loud and clear from families and communities that Indigenous people need better access to the legal system and in building productive relationships with media and police without fear of bias or inequality—that's why the work of organizations like the New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council is so important. We will continue to work to advance gender equality for all Canadians, including Indigenous and LGBTQ2+ people, because we cannot move forward while some of us are held back."

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P.
Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality

"No relationship is more important to Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples. That's why the Government of Canada is pleased to support the New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council and expand on their successful Looking Out for Each Other project. Expanding the important work of this project will help make a difference and create more positive change in New Brunswick."

Matt DeCourcey
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Member of Parliament for Fredericton

"We would like to thank the federal government for its investment in our important work. By building on our relationships with the media and the justice system including police and legal services we can obtain positive, meaningful change with and for our communities. Only by working together will we be better able to better serve our communities and ensure justice for our stolen sisters."

Barry LaBillois, President/Chief
New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council

Quick Facts

• Budget 2018 announced $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women's movement across Canada. Adding to this historic investment, Budget 2019 invests a further $160 million over five years, starting in 2019–20, in Women and Gender Equality Canada's Women's Program. This means that in 2023–24, the Women's Program, which supports eligible organizations to carry out projects to advance equality by addressing systemic barriers, will total $100 million.
• The Women's Program at Women and Gender Equality Canada supports eligible organizations to carry out projects that work to remove systemic barriers to gender equality.
• While Indigenous women make up only 4% of Canada's female population, they are disproportionately affected by all forms of violence.
• Between 1980 and 2012, 16% of all women murdered in Canada were Indigenous. (Source: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada).
• NBAPC signed a letter of commitment on May 16, 2019 in partnership with the Fredericton Police Force to work together to ensure that risk assessment protocols and tools are responsive to the needs of Indigenous missing persons and their loved ones. (Source: NBAPC)

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Backgrounder

Women and Gender Equality Canada – Women's Program 

One of the ways Women and Gender Equality Canada advances gender equality in Canada is by providing funding to eligible organizations through the Women's Program. Projects are selected via calls for proposals on specific themes, as well as through a continuous intake process that allows the Women's Program to address emerging issues as they arise.                                                  

The Women's Program funds projects that address systemic barriers to women's equality in three priority areas: ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security and prosperity of women and girls; and encouraging women and girls in leadership roles.

New Brunswick Project

Today's announcement in Fredericton, New Brunswick, profiled an organization selected for federal funding:

New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council (NBAPC)

Project title: Looking Out for Each Other
Funding amount: $441,769

NBAPC will expand its successful Looking Out for Each Other project, a community driven initiative that assists families and communities when an Indigenous woman goes missing. It develops and implements effective practices to assist families and communities in dealing with the legal system and the media. The organization will work with the police and media to expand the project in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Québec. Appropriate and responsive tools will be developed and implemented such as checklists and protocols for police and public education and awareness tools for lawyers and journalists, building on needs that communities have identified in reporting missing Indigenous women and girls. The results of this expansion will be shared with other communities and stakeholder organizations.

NBAPC, formerly the New Brunswick Association of Métis and Non-Status Indians, was incorporated in New Brunswick as a non-profit organization in 1972 to improve the social and economic standards of off-reserve Indigenous people in New Brunswick. The organization has grown significantly over the years and provides a voice for approximately 28,260 status and non-status Indigenous people living in the province. NBAPC is affiliated with the Congress of Aboriginal People in Ottawa, representing over one million off-reserve Indigenous people across Canada.

Associated Links

• New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council
• Looking Out For Each Other Project
• Women and Gender Equality Canada – Women's Program

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SOURCE Department for Women and Gender Equality

Braeson Holland, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality, 343-549-8825; Valérie Haché, Senior Communications Advisor, Women and Gender Equality Canada, 819-420-8684