May 19, 2022 | International
The Government of Canada is investing $441,200 in ten British Columbia communities through the Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP), delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). These initiatives will help communities make data-driven decisions about key infrastructure and ensure long-term infrastructure performance.
Ottawa, May 19, 2022— Managing municipal infrastructure effectively is vital to Canada’s economic competitiveness. Municipalities of all sizes need good asset management practices to build and maintain resilient and sustainable communities for all Canadians.
That is why the Government of Canada is investing $441,200 in ten British Columbia communities through the Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP), delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). These initiatives will help communities make data-driven decisions about key infrastructure and ensure long-term infrastructure performance.
With funding from MAMP:
The Squamish Nation will develop an asset management policy and tools for everyday use in asset management, compiled in an “Asset Management Program Manual”. These tools will be developed in close collaboration with Nation staff and Council members, through workshops.
The Village of Lions Bay will develop a long-term asset replacement financial model & strategy, an asset management policy, annual reporting templates for measuring progress on Asset Management for council & public as well as improve its building asset inventory & condition data.
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation will seek a consulting service to collect asset data and conduct an assessment. The goal is to inform the rehabilitation planning for its water features including decorative fountains, outdoor pools, wading pools and spray parks. The consultant will also provide an asset data inventory including detailed quantity, condition, expected service life and replacement value of assets and conduct multi-strategy life cycle cost analysis for producing an optimal rehabilitation and maintenance program.
Further information on the ten initiatives can be found in the backgrounder.
“Investments in infrastructure asset management projects help improve the quality of life of British Columbians. This funding from the Municipal Asset Management Program will ensure our communities have the technology and resources they need to adopt the best management practices and make evidence-based decisions.”
The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada and Member of Parliament for Vancouver South
“Well-maintained public infrastructure is crucial to creating sustainable and healthy communities. Through the Municipal Asset Management Plan, the Government of Canada is supporting municipalities and Indigenous governments in their work to make sound, data-driven decisions with respect to existing and new infrastructure to best serve their communities.”
Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country
“Empowering municipalities to make strategic investment decisions regarding their municipal infrastructure assets is the goal of the Municipal Asset Management Program. FCM will continue to support municipalities with good asset management practices, planning, data collection and analysis so they can deliver essential services and ensure a high quality of life to their residents.”
Joanne Vanderheyden, President, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Jean-Sébastien Comeau
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
Cell: (343) 574-8116
Jean-Sebastien.Comeau@iga-aig.gc.ca
May 18, 2022 | International
Tourism tells our story to the world, and the workers in that industry make possible the memorable experiences people carry with them for the rest of their lives.
The strategy will set the course for growth, investment and stability
May 18, 2022 – Montréal, Quebec
Tourism tells our story to the world, and the workers in that industry make possible the memorable experiences people carry with them for the rest of their lives. Today at an event with the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, announced the launch of the formal engagement period for the renewal of Canada’s Federal Tourism Growth Strategy.
Minister Boissonnault will work with the tourism sector, provincial and territorial counterparts, and Indigenous tourism partners to renew the strategy and set a course for growth, investment and stability. The Minister also spoke about supports for small and medium-sized enterprises and his vision for the tourism and hospitality industry in the coming years.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an undeniable and unique impact on Canadian tourism. To help the tourism and hospitality industry weather the challenges of the past two years, the Government of Canada provided $23 billion in emergency support. Now, with travel safely resuming and the industry beginning to turn the corner, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for tourism to thrive and grow even stronger. The government is deeply invested in seeing the tourism industry thrive again and reach its full potential as a job creator and economic driver in communities all across Canada. As announced in Budget 2022, one of many measures that will help fuel the resurgence of tourism is the renewal of the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy.
The strategy will focus on important areas such as workforce challenges and destination development, which have become increasingly significant since the first strategy was launched in 2019.
Tourism stakeholders, business owners and employees, as well as members of the public, are invited to visit New Federal Tourism Growth Strategy to provide input and help lay the foundation for the future of Canada’s tourism industry.
“Today’s launch of the consultation period for the renewal of the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy is a significant and exciting step for Canadian tourism. There is a lot of work to be done, and I know we can position the sector for long-term growth by coming together in a spirit of collaboration. Working with industry partners and provincial and territorial colleagues, we will plot a course for a bright future for this sector and for the Canadian economy.”
– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
Marie-Pier Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
343-576-4131
Marie-Pier.Baril@ised-isde.gc.ca
Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
media@ised-isde.gc.ca
May 18, 2022 | International
On May 16, the Honourable Marc Miller provided an update on the Government of Canada’s actions to support First Nations, Inuit and Métis-led, Survivor-centric and culturally informed initiatives helping Indigenous communities respond to, and heal from the ongoing impacts of residential schools.
May 17, 2022 — Ottawa, traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation, Ontario — Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
As we approach the one year anniversary of the tragic locating of unmarked burials at the former Kamloops Residential School, we acknowledge our country’s inherited past and the shameful legacy that comes with it.
On May 16, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services; the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage; the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada; the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety; and the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency; provided an update on the Government of Canada’s actions to support First Nations, Inuit and Métis-led, Survivor-centric and culturally informed initiatives helping Indigenous communities respond to, and heal from the ongoing impacts of residential schools.
The Government of Canada has been working directly with communities to support their plans to locate and commemorate children who never returned from residential schools through Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada’s Residential School Missing Children’s – Community Support Funding program. Specifically in relation to searches, $78.3 million has been delivered to Indigenous communities across the country to support 70 initiatives in research, knowledge gathering, commemoration, memorialization, and fieldwork investigation around the sites of former residential schools.
Communities are leading a variety of initiatives. For example, Bigstone Health Commission has established an Elder Advisory Committee to oversee archival research, interviews, gatherings for Survivors, and ground penetrating radar at both residential school sites. Esk’etemc First Nation is working on a future Spirit Walk or run to commemorate Survivors and those children who did not return home. These and other community-led initiatives have ensured that communities can continue this important work in their own way and at their own pace.
Budget 2022 has allocated an additional $122 million over the next three years to the Residential School Missing Children’s – Community Support Funding program, bringing the Government of Canada’s total investment to $238.8 million to date to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 72 to 76 on residential schools missing children and burial information.
To ensure communities have a trusted source providing access to professional assistance in the delicate work to locate burial sites, work is being finalized to establish the National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools Missing Children and Unmarked Burials. The Committee will consist of approximately 12 to 15 members with specific expertise in areas such as forensic anthropology or archeology, archival research, Indigenous cultural protocols, communication and financial administration. These members will offer technical expertise and professional advice to communities and the Government of Canada. The Committee will also include three Elders/Knowledge Keepers.
The Government of Canada will support the appointment of an Independent Special Interlocutor to work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments, representative organizations, communities and families, provinces and territories and others to recommend a new federal framework to ensure the respectful and culturally appropriate treatment of unmarked graves and burial sites of children at former residential schools. The Government of Canada recognizes the need to move forward with the selection of the Special Interlocutor and is working in collaboration with Indigenous partners towards an appointment as quickly as possible. The federal government has also collaborated with Indigenous leadership and legal experts to define the Special Interlocutor’s mandate.
The Government of Canada continues to take necessary steps to ensure the complete disclosure of federal documents related to residential schools, while respecting Survivors’ wishes, legislation, court orders, settlement agreements and ongoing litigation. Canada will also support the digitization of millions of documents relating to the federal Indian Day School System (Day School System), which will ensure Survivors and all Canadians have meaningful access to them.
In addition, many communities are expressing a desire to address the legacy buildings and sites associated with residential schools. To help communities deal with these buildings and the painful memories they represent, Canada committed $100.1 million through Indigenous Services Canada to support community plans to manage former residential school buildings on reserves. This funding will support activities such as building demolition, land remediation or the construction of new facilities so that any community-based activities that currently take place in these buildings can continue. Canada, with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, is researching the status of residential school properties to better understand the current state of any remaining buildings and former residential school locations.
Further, to support the mental health and wellbeing of Survivors directly, Canada invested $107.3 million in 2021-2022 through Indigenous Services Canada to support the expansion of trauma-informed cultural and emotional supports for residential school Survivors and others impacted by the legacy of residential schools. Additionally, Budget 2022 proposes $227.6 million over two years, starting in 2022-23, to maintain trauma-informed, culturally appropriate, Indigenous-led services to improve mental wellness, and to support efforts initiated through Budget 2021 related to distinctions-based mental health and wellness initiatives.
The Government of Canada remains committed to ensuring that the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools is never forgotten by supporting commemorative initiatives, including $5 million this year events and activities to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, as well as $20 million for the establishment of a national monument. On April 29, 2022, through Canadian Heritage, a Survivor-led Steering Committee was announced to guide work on a Residential Schools National Monument, that will be installed in Ottawa. The monument will honour Survivors and the children who never returned to their families and communities.
The Government of Canada will continue to support the important and ongoing work to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 79iii, building on the 2020 designation of the Residential School System as a national historic event, and the designation of four former residential schools as national historic sites: former Portage La Prairie Residential School in Manitoba (designated 2020), former Shubenacadie Residential School in Nova Scotia (designated 2020), former Shingwauk Residential School in Ontario (designated 2021), former Muscowequan Residential School in Saskatchewan (designated 2021).
Addressing the harms suffered by Survivors, their families and communities is at the heart of reconciliation and is essential to renewing and building relationships with Indigenous Peoples, governments, and all Canadians.
“The historical relationship between Canada and Indigenous Peoples is one framed by colonial practices, especially the residential school system. We acknowledge this and the devastation it has caused, and recognize that trust needs to be built, wrongs need to be addressed and healing needs to be supported. That is why we remain committed to working with leadership, Survivors, their families, and communities – in undertaking the difficult work ahead – at their own pace, according to their own vision and priorities.”
The Honourable Marc Miller,
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
“The impacts of residential schools have affected generations of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and the hard work to address this shameful policy and the intergenerational trauma it created will take time. We are committed to listening to Indigenous voices as we work to address the legacy of residential schools and support Survivors, their families and communities. ”
The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services
“We recognize that colonial policies created systemic injustices for Indigenous Peoples and that we have to act. That’s why we support the reclamation, preservation, revitalization, maintenance and strengthening of Indigenous languages, cultures and cultural spaces in Canada. For families and for communities, it is our duty to ensure that history is not forgotten.”
The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez,
Minister of Canadian Heritage
“We must seek justice for all the children who never made it home and we are committed to working with First Nations, Inuit and Metis Survivors, families, communities and leaders to ensure this is done. The appointment of an Independent Special Interlocutor will be a critical step in ensuring unmarked graves and burial sites near former residential schools are respectfully and appropriately treated and protected.”
The Honourable David T. Lametti, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
“True reconciliation with the Indigenous Peoples of this land means an honest accounting of the horrors of residential schools and forced assimilation. The RCMP has a central part to play in this; which will acknowledge its role in colonialism, address the challenges of the current relationship and chart a course to rebuild trust with Indigenous communities. With $5 million for the RCMP’s National Centre for Missing Person’s to investigate cold cases, funding proposed under Budget 2022 is both a meaningful step towards the pursuit of truth and another step forward on the journey towards reconciliation.”
The Honourable Marco Mendicino
Minister of Public Safety
“Commemorated people, events, and sites give Canadians a window into Canada’s past and the truths we must share about our history. These histories reverberate in the experience of Indigenous Peoples today. By remembering them, we hope to advance reconciliation and heal the deep wounds that still persist. The Government of Canada will continue working in close collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and communities to remember, share and understand the painful experiences endured by Indigenous children in residential schools, so that we can move forward on path of healing and reconciliation together.”
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
“For the first time, many Canadians saw the tragic legacy of Canada’s colonial past when the remains of 215 children were found in Kamloops, almost one year ago. As more remains are found across the country, it is a painful reminder to us all of past wrongs, the intergenerational trauma caused by the residential school system, and the long road ahead toward reconciliation. Survivors of residential schools and their families are my friends; they are my community. It’s not ancient history. The impacts of these institutions are felt to this day. We must do this important work in partnership, and in support of Indigenous communities, in honouring the memory of all those who did not come home; honour the lives of those who survived and help them heal; and, ensure no Canadian forgets what happened here, so it may never happen again.”
The Honourable Daniel Vandal, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Justine Leblanc
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations
justine.leblanc@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca
Alison Murphy
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services
Alison.Murphy@sac-isc.gc.ca
Chantalle Aubertin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
613-992-6568
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May 15, 2022 | International
The Government of Canada to hold a technical briefing and press conference on the next steps for Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy
Gatineau and Montréal, Quebec – May 13, 2022 – Media representatives are advised that senior officials from the Government of Canada will hold a bilingual technical briefing on the next steps for Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy. The briefing will be on background only and is not for attribution.
Event: Technical Briefing via Zoom
Date: Monday, May 16, 2022
Time: 9:30 a.m. (EDT)
Location: Zoom Webinar
Following the technical briefing, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, will hold a press conference on next steps for Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy. Minister Guilbeault will be joined by Sameer Zuberi, Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds–Dollard, and Dimitrios Jim Beis, borough mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro.
Event: Press Conference
Date: Monday, May 16, 2022
Time: 11:10 a.m. (EDT)
Location: Onsite at Anciens-Combattants Park Welcome Centre
155 Rue Rose
Montréal, Quebec
And via Zoom webinar
For both the technical briefing and press conference, media representatives are asked to register for the Zoom webinars by contacting Media Relations at Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The Minister will deliver his remarks at the National Adaptation Strategy Symposium, which will include panel discussions with provincial, territorial, Indigenous, and private sector leaders, showcasing adaptation efforts across the country. As it is open to the public, media are welcome to register and observe. You may register here.
The first panel discussion at 11:40 a.m. (EDT) is titled “National Strategy to Local Action: Provincial, Territorial, Municipal and Indigenous Leadership Strategies.” It will feature the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, and Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, along with provincial and territorial Ministers, Indigenous leaders and municipal representatives.
Kaitlin Power
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
819-230-1557
kaitlin.power@ec.gc.ca
Media Relations
Environment and Climate Change Canada
819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free)
media@ec.gc.ca
