NAFC executive elects new members

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VICTORIA, B.C. - Viola Thomas, Kermode Friendship Centre in Terrace, B.C. was

re-elected for her second consecutive term as president of the National Association of Friendship Centres on the west coast of British Columbia. In the warm, but often cloudy, coastal city of Victoria the 15th annual convention of friendship centre "movement" advocates gathered to share their concerns for the future. Other members elected to the executive council include: Karen Collins as secretary from Bonnyville, Tom Eagle as treasurer from Yellowknife, and David Gray of Manitoba as vice-president.

Before the election, Thomas vowed to consult with the boards of directors of provincial and territorial organizations (12 - member board) who have many considerations for the future: "the renewal of four funding base, greater communications and full utilization of our data base are already identified as priorities."

The Native Friendship Centres Program was undertaken in 1972 by the federal Secretary of State by funding 40 centres across Canada. But the "movement" began in 1958 with centres in Winnipeg and Vancouver. These were efforts to allow Native people to provide off-reserve Indian populations, particularly those in urban centres, with basic community services. Today there are 94 Native Friendship Centres in Canada.

The federal Secretary of State provided $15.1 Million in operational grants and contributions annually to the friendship centres. The major activity of friendship centres with over 1,000 employees in Canada, is to help accommodate cultural and social transition for migrating Native people. However, the federal government's measure of restraint has effected core operations funding for centres and will make reductions of up

to 5% in remaining grants for 1986.

The delegation in Victoria was not pleased with this announcement and some viewed it as the implementation of the Neilsen Task Force recommendations (a private sector study on government programs). Tom Eagle, Tree of Peace Friendship Centre,

told a panel of Secretary of State employees that "were just being tested with the 5%

cut, just feeling things out for the future. There will likely be more cuts. In my view it's an implementation of the Neilsen Report."

The Neilsen Report, coined as the "Buffalo Jump of the Eighties," is vague in its support of the Native Friendship Centres program. The recommendation given by the Neilsen Task Force is that NECP receive continued federal support on the condition of clarifying provincial and federal responsibility for urban Natives.

Perhaps the most pressing item for the NAFC is the renewal of NFCP. Formerly called the Migrating Peoples Programme, established by the liberal government in 1973, it provided funding for Core, Native Participation Councils and Demonstration Projects. By 1978, friendship centres grew and migration by Natives to urban centres escalated, increasing the demand on community services. It was during this year that the national association was formed.

By 1982, NAFC had grown to a point where they were prepared to enter into negotiations with the federal government to renew their programme for another five years. That exercise involved a negotiating team who were instrumental in bringing about a renewed and enriched NECP. It took the NAFC 32 months to renew that programme.

Pat Baxter, a member of the 1982 negotiating team, felt that certain roadblocks were placed before them stalling progress. "The other side (federal government developed a negotiating team that we had difficulties with. This was because they were directorate heads or regional directors who would report to the minister (Secretary of State).

"The two year process of negotiating with bureaucrats proved especially frustrating and it wasn't until we negotiated directly with the minister and his staff that we received co-peration," said Baxter about renewing the programme. "But if the new negotiating team is to gain commitments from the ecretary of State for program renewal in 1988, it must be from the Minister's office and the programmes should always stay within one administration: that of the NAFC."

The resources made available to the friendship centre are in a) Core Support,

b) Training Support, c) Capital Support, d) Special Projects Support. These programs help centres provide a myriad of social and cultural services in an often harsh and fast paced urban climate. In Edmonton and Calgary, not unlike other Prairie cities, Native people make up a significant portion of the population. The need for these centres intensifies when statistics relative to Native crime rates, suicide rates, etc. are examined.

In a telephone interview with the office of Minister Hon. Benoit Bouchard, his special advisor on Native affairs, Peter Goblensky, said, "The Minister is committed to evaluation and review of the Friendship Centres Program because he is convinced that

the movement contributes significantly to providing solutions to problems encountered

by Aboriginal people in urban communities.

In a written statement, the minister went on to say that," we will have initial meetings with representatives of NAFC in early September to begin the negotiation process for the Friendship Centres Program."

At the time of this writing, the NAFC has 20 months to renew a program which took nearly 30 months to renew four years ago. The NAFC have a different team and they are negotiating with a different government. Friendship centre representatives are cautious, as they approach another political process to continue the work started in Winnipeg and Vancouver nearly thirty years ago.

(Jeff Bear is a Maliseet Indian living and writing in Vancouver.)