Feb 18, 2022 | International
With the launch of the Cultural Connections Project, supports will be provided to connect all children in out-of-home care with their own cultures and communities.
February 17, 2022 — Kwanlin (Whitehorse), Yukon — Indigenous Services Canada
Indigenous Services Canada, the Government of Yukon, Yukon First Nations and the Council of Yukon First Nations are pleased to announce the launch of the Cultural Connections Project for Yukon First Nations and Indigenous children in out-of-home care. This project will be implemented in true partnership over the next five years, to support and safeguard connection to culture and community for Yukon First Nations and Indigenous children involved in the child welfare system.
With the launch of the Cultural Connections Project, supports will be provided to connect all children in out-of-home care with their own cultures and communities. For Yukon First Nations children under the care of the Yukon Director of Family and Children’s Services, this will include a mandatory cultural plan developed collaboratively with Yukon First Nations or the Council of Yukon First Nations. Cultural plans may include individual and group cultural, linguistic, traditional and on-the-land activities to support connections with their family and community.
This project aligns with the key priorities of Yukon’s Trilateral Table on the Wellbeing of Yukon First Nations Children and Families, in particular the importance of reunification and maintaining connections between children and families. It also responds to some of the recommendations made by Yukon First Nations during the recent review of the Yukon’s Child and Family Services Act.
By enhancing Yukon First Nations’ involvement in child and family services, and by supporting children to remain connected to their communities, languages and cultures, this initiative also supports the intent and direction of the federal Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families. The Act affirms the inherent rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to exercise jurisdiction in relation to their child and family services, and establishes national guiding principles that must be applied by all who provide child and family services to Indigenous children.
The Cultural Connections Project is a reflection of governments working together to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s second point in the first Call to Action. Specifically, it addresses the over-representation of Indigenous children in care and the call to keep children in culturally appropriate environments.
The Government of Canada is supporting this initiative through its First Nations Child and Family Services Program, which focuses on early prevention and assists First Nations to assert greater control over the wellbeing of their children and families. Funding is being provided for five years starting in 2021-2022, and will provide up to $12.6 million.
“Children can do their best when they are connected to family, community and culture. The Cultural Connections Project demonstrates that when partners work together, we better support the wellbeing of people and communities. Congratulations to all those who have worked so hard to bring this project to life and for keeping the focus where it matters: on the wellness and happiness of First Nations children in the Yukon.”
The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services
“All children deserve to be emotionally, physically and spiritually safe. They must be valued, loved and respected in their culture. This project reflects our commitment to reconciliation and the importance of culture and community for children involved in the child welfare system. It is also an example of true partnership and collaboration between Yukon First Nations, Canada and the Yukon.”
The Honourable Tracy-Anne McPhee
Minister of Health and Social Services, Government of Yukon
“CYFN is pleased to see this project come to fruition for the benefit of Yukon First Nations children. This project is the result of collaboration across governments and Yukon First Nations and demonstrates a commitment to ensuring that Yukon First Nations children in care are able to maintain a connection to their culture and communities.”
Grand Chief Peter Johnston
Council of Yukon First Nations
“Home is not just a physical place, but an idea molded by culture, community and family. The Cultural Connection Project launched today, is another step forward in real partnership with Yukon First Nations, to ensure the provision of culturally appropriate and community led supports for indigenous children in care. After a long journey, I am pleased to see it become a reality.”
The Honourable Bendan Hanley
Member of Parliament for Yukon
The Government of Yukon provides child and family services to all Yukon residents, including First Nations children and families, in accordance with the Yukon’s Child and Family Services Act which came into force in 2010.
Indigenous Services Canada provides funding, delivered in the Yukon by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, to support service delivery for First Nations children and families.
An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families was co-developed in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #4, and came into force on January 1, 2020. The federal Act aims to reduce the number of Indigenous children and youth in care and improve child and family services.
The final report of the Yukon Government’s Child and Family Services Act Review Advisory Committee – called Embracing the Children of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – was tabled in the Yukon’s Legislative Assembly in October 2019.
About 90 percent of children and youth in the care of the Yukon Director of Family and Children’s Services are Indigenous.
The Yukon Trilateral Table on the Wellbeing of Yukon First Nations Children and Families presents a venue for developing initiatives to improve child and family services, and reduce the number of First Nations children in care in the Yukon. Along with Canada, Yukon, and the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Trilateral Table also includes representatives of urban and rural Yukon First Nations as chosen by Yukon First Nations.
Alison Murphy
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services
Alison.Murphy@sac-isc.gc.ca
Michael Edwards
Communications, Health and Social Services, Government of Yukon
867-667-8539
michael.edwards@gov.yk.ca
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Aug 5, 2021 | International
Today, the Honourable Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Richard Mostyn, Yukon Minister of Community Services, announced joint funding for 14 community infrastructure projects across Yukon.
Haines Junction, Yukon, August 4, 2021—The health, safety, and well-being of Yukoners are the top priorities of the governments of Canada and Yukon. Investments in local infrastructure by both governments during this unprecedented time will help stimulate the economy, create well-paying jobs and address the needs of northern communities.
Today, the Honourable Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Richard Mostyn, Yukon Minister of Community Services, announced joint funding for 14 community infrastructure projects across Yukon.
The Government of Canada is investing over $44.7 million in these projects through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream (CCRIS), the Green Infrastructure Stream (GIS), the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure Stream (RNIS), and the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (CVRIS) of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The Government of Yukon is providing over $10.1 million towards these projects.
Funding will support the development of modern and accessible recreational spaces, and provide more efficient and reliable drinking water and wastewater services for Yukon residents. Among the projects funded, upgrades to deteriorating water and sewer infrastructure in Haines Junction will improve access to drinking water and increase the municipality’s capacity to treat and manage wastewater. Upgrades to roadways and alleyways across the municipality will also help residents get around more safely and efficiently.
Once complete, these projects will improve the quality and accessibility of facilities and services in Yukon communities for the benefit of residents and visitors.
All orders of government continue to work together for Yukoners to make strategic infrastructure investments in communities across the territory when they need it the most.
“Making sure Yukoners have community centres, clean energy projects, and safe and reliable water and wastewater services is essential to building a healthy and sustainable future for communities. As we build back even better and consciously become more inclusive, Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds stronger, safer, and more resilient communities.”
The Honourable Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
“The Investing in Canada Plan is helping Yukon municipalities, First Nations governments and unincorporated communities build sustainable and healthy communities, while creating economic development. These projects will improve access to clean drinking water and reliable wastewater systems, reduce greenhouse gases and build resilience to climate change and update recreational and cultural space for our communities.”
The Honourable Richard Mostyn, Yukon Minister of Community Services
“The funding provided by the federal and territorial governments through the Investing in Canada Plan to rehabilitate our existing infrastructure and to drill a new well will allow the Village of Haines Junction to continue to provide safe, efficient and environmentally-sustainable water and sewer services to our community. This forward-thinking investment guarantees our community’s water security for the years to come.”
Village of Haines Junction Mayor Thomas Eckervogt
Emelyana Titarenko
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
873-355-9576
emelyana.titarenko@canada.ca
Bonnie Venton Ross
Communications Analyst
Department of Community Services, Government of Yukon
867-332-5513
bonnie.ventonross@yukon.ca
Dan Rodin
Chief Administrative Officer
Village of Haines Junction
867-634-7100, ext. 102
cao@hainesjunction.ca
Jul 24, 2021 | International
Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Honourable Sandy Silver, Yukon Premier, and the Honourable Jeanie McLean, Yukon Minister of Education, announced an agreement that significantly improves early learning and child care for children in Yukon. Through the agreement, the governments of Canada and Yukon will work together to rapidly expand access to quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services.
July 23, 2021 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Finance Canada
Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and all parents should have the ability to build both a family and career. Yet, too many families across Canada lack access to affordable, inclusive, and high-quality child care. The global COVID-19 pandemic has also made it clear that without access to child care, too many parents – especially women – cannot fully participate in the workforce.
Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Honourable Sandy Silver, Yukon Premier, and the Honourable Jeanie McLean, Yukon Minister of Education, announced an agreement that significantly improves early learning and child care for children in Yukon. Through the agreement, the governments of Canada and Yukon will work together to rapidly expand access to quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services.
In the recent federal budget, the Government of Canada laid out a transformative plan to build a Canada-wide, community-based system of quality early learning and child care that provides parents in Canada with, on average, $10 a day regulated child care spaces for children under age six. This plan will make life more affordable for families, create new jobs, get parents back into the workforce, and grow the middle class, while giving every child the best possible start in life.
Today’s announcement includes the creation of 110 new regulated early learning and child care spaces within five years to help ensure families of children under six years old can access child care spaces that meet their needs. The Government of Canada’s investment builds on Yukon’s efforts to date to ensure that all families have access to an average of $10 a day out-of-pocket parent fees for full-time regulated child care spaces for children under age six.
This agreement will fund critical services, and attract, retain and grow a strong and skilled workforce of early childhood educators, including through greater opportunities for professional development. This agreement also supports the ongoing implementation of Yukon’s wage grid, which provides a minimum wage of nearly $30 an hour to fully qualified early childhood educators— the highest minimum wage for early childhood educators in the country.
Federal funding will be exclusively used to support the creation of regulated spaces in not-for-profit and public early learning and child care providers, as well as family-based providers. The agreement will also support an early learning and child care system that is fully inclusive of children with disabilities and children needing enhanced or individual supports, and ensures all families have equitable access to high quality, affordable early learning and child care. The agreement also supports a clear commitment to continue to work collaboratively with Yukon First Nations to ensure Indigenous children will have access to affordable, high-quality and culturally appropriate early learning and child care.
Since 2015, through programs like the Canada Child Benefit which has recently once again been indexed to inflation, the government has been helping make life more affordable for families.
“Strong educational supports for children of all ages and needs are vital for the success and prosperity of all Yukoners. This year we introduced the Yukon’s first universal affordable childcare program to provide Yukon children with access to affordable, high-quality childcare and learning opportunities. We are pleased to work with the Government of Canada to enhance this program and make life more affordable for Yukon families. Not only is this an investment that benefits our children’s development, it is an investment that benefits our local economy and equality in the workforce.”
— The Honourable Sandy Silver, Premier of Yukon
“Ensuring all Canadians have access to high-quality and affordable early learning and child care is feminist economic policy and smart economic policy. It is critical social infrastructure, over 50 years in the making, which will drive jobs and growth. By working with the Government of Yukon on implementing the beginning of this historic investment, we will be giving every child in the territory the best possible start in life, increasing women’s participation in the workforce, creating jobs, and making life more affordable for young families across Yukon.”
— The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
“Child care is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Our vision for early learning and child care is big and ambitious, but our government knows that it’s the right thing to do to ensure every child has the best start in life. Through this historic agreement, our government is working to ensure that all children in Yukon have access to the quality child care they need to succeed.”
— The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
“This historic agreement between the governments of Yukon and Canada will allow us to expand our new universal affordable childcare program and enhance childcare delivery in the Yukon. Together with our partners we are supporting early learning programs for Yukon families that incorporate on-the-land and experiential learning, local First Nation ways of knowing, doing, and being, traditional language learning, and more. We look forward to continue working with Yukon First Nations, childcare operators and educators to build capacity and deliver inclusive, accessible programming that meets the needs of all Yukon children.”
— The Honourable Jeanie McLean, Minister of Education
On April 1, 2021, Yukon introduced a universal child care system, part of a $25 million annual investment in its early learning and child care system. In addition, the Government of Canada will contribute a total of nearly $42 million over five years to build on Yukon’s efforts to date to ensure that all families have access to an average of $10 a day out-of-pocket parent fees for full-time regulated early learning and child care spaces for children under age six.
The governments of Canada and Yukon will create an Implementation Committee that will monitor progress on early learning and child care commitments in consultation with partners and stakeholders. The Government of Canada will be represented on this committee by the Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care.
Budget 2021 provides new investments to build a high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care system across Canada. These investments total up to $30 billion over the next five years, and combined with previous investments announced since 2015, $9.2 billion every year thereafter, permanently.
Through previous investments in early learning and child care, the Government of Canada helped to create over 40,000 more affordable child care spaces across the country prior to the pandemic, including over 1,500 in Yukon.
In addition to these investments, the Government of Canada is directly supporting parents, no matter how they choose to care for their children, through the Canada Child Benefit (CCB). For over five years, the CCB has provided almost $25 billion in tax-free support per year to about 3.5 million families, and is now providing families with $350 more per child than when the program began.
Since 2015, the Government of Canada has been helping make life more affordable for families. This includes programs like the Canada Child Benefit, which was annually increased again this week to help families keep up with the costs of living and raising their children.
Investments in child care will benefit all Canadians. Studies show that for every dollar invested in early childhood education, the broader economy receives between $1.50 and $2.80 in return.
To promote greater gender equality at home and in the workplace, the Government of Canada has also introduced the Parental Sharing Benefit. This new measure provides an additional five weeks of Employment Insurance parental benefits when parents – including adoptive and same-sex parents – agree to share parental benefits.
Jul 10, 2021 | International
As the country continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada is in regular contact with provinces and territories to assess the needs of each region and provide assistance.
July 10, 2021
Ottawa, ON
As the country continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada is in regular contact with provinces and territories to assess the needs of each region and provide assistance.
Today, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Bill Blair, and the Minister of Health, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, and the Minister of Northern Affairs, the Honourable Dan Vandal, confirmed that the Government of Canada has approved a request for assistance from the Government of Yukon to support COVID-19 efforts in the community.
Public Safety Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada and Indigenous Services Canada are working with the Government of Yukon to send more public health professionals to help with coordination and contact tracing, social supports, as well as to ship laboratory equipment and personal protective equipment.
The Government Operations Centre is coordinating the federal response to the situation in Yukon. Canadians can be assured that all orders of government are working together to deliver the required help in response to this COVID-19 outbreak.
“The Government of Canada always stands ready to help the provinces and territories. We are pleased to be able to provide assistance to the citizens of Yukon in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I thank responding partners at all levels of government and the Canadian Red Cross for their commitment to caring for Canadians.”
– The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
“The federal government continues to work closely with all provinces and territories to provide any support needed in the fight against COVID-19. This approval of the request for assistance from Yukon for additional health services and other supports is another example of our close collaboration in protecting the health and safety of Canadians. I would also like to encourage everyone to continue doing their part to help control the spread of COVID-19 by following the advice of their local public health officials, and getting vaccinated when it is their turn.”
-The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health
“Our government recognizes the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect communities across Canada, including Yukon. With the approval of this request for assistance our government will continue to be there to support Yukon in stopping the spread of this virus and keep people safe. I want to thank the front line workers, public health officials and Indigenous and Territory partners for their continued leadership. By working together, providing needed resources, and continuing the vaccination campaign, we will get through this challenging time together.
-The Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs
