Federal budget 2019 fails indigenous women, says NWAC president

#NativeWomen'sAssociationofCanada; #NWAC; #FrancyneJoe; #CarolynBennett; #VivianeMichel; #indigenous; #QuebecNativeWomen
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Toronto, Mar 21 (Canadian-Media): Federal government's 2019 budget had been denounced by Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) president Francyne Joe as it did not include any dedicated funding for indigenous women, media reports said.

Native Women's Association of Canada. Image credit: nwac.ca

In spite of signing of an accord with Canada by Crown-Indigenous Relations minister Carolyn Bennett, which recognized NWAC as a full participant in decision making at the national and international levels, the budget was reportedly blanketed and  ignored any culturally relevant, gender-based line item.

"It takes a significant amount of time for proposals to be written, then you're waiting to find out if they've been approved," Joe said.

According to the accord  parties agreed to negotiate a working plan and a contribution agreement for enhanced core-like funding to enable recognition of indigenous women's priorities to empower them. 

Joe pointed out that the budget included a chapter on advancing reconciliation, but the indigenous women had been excluded from decision making.

"This budget ignores the issues that we brought to the table," said Joe.

Viviane Michel, president of Quebec Native Women, which is one of the 10 provincial chapters of the organization, said the need for healing programs following the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls had been overlooked in this federal budget.​

Viviane Michel/President

"Families, survivors, communities, children — they need to start healing no matter what...need a guarantee that funding is coming...to advance healing centres and allow for training of counsellors and elders so that we're prepared," said Joe.​