To further the action of reconciliation and ensure a diligent approach to the dangers of climate change, the federal government has pledged early funding for 28 projects under the Indigenous Guardians pilot program.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna announced $5.7 million for First Nations communities across the country, Tuesday at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney.
B次元官网网址淸This] gives First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit the support they need to be the best possible stewards of their traditional lands, waters and ice,B次元官网网址� McKenna said.
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Different communities have different perspectives and different approaches, said McKenna who stressed it was B次元官网网址渞eally important to me that we get the money to the communities.B次元官网网址�
Of the 10 projects in B.C., three are located on Vancouver Island.
| Chief David Walkem of the CookB次元官网网址檚 Ferry Indian Band is joined by Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna who announced early funding for the Indigenous Guardians pilot program. (Kristyn Anthony/B次元官网网址 staff) |
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been working for years to get our information from our elders, and work with governments and industry to try and get our values back on the land, get our people more involved,B次元官网网址� said Chief David Walkem of the CookB次元官网网址檚 Ferry Indian Band.
This program provides a really good opportunity to implement that on the ground, he added.
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| Prior to Tuesday's announcement of early funding for the Indigenous Guardians program, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna (left) participated in a roundtable discussion with Indigenous representatives like Eli Enns (right), a Nuu-chah-nulth political scientist at the University of Victoria. (Kristyn Anthony/B次元官网网址 staff) |
In March, the federal government announced $25 million in funding as part of Budget 2017, to fund Indigenous Guardian programs over the course of five years.
It is the first time the government has made a financial commitment to the M茅tis, First Nations and Inuit community-run programs.
B次元官网网址淩econciliation also requires reconciliation with the land,B次元官网网址� McKenna said, pointing to one of the 94 calls to action included in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.
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The overarching goal of the pilot program is to establish a national Indigenous Guardians network to help sustain the program long term.
It also supports some of the key goals of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Nature Legacy, ensuring healthier habitats for species at risk, advancing reconciliation and demonstrating global leadership to achieve 2020 conservation targets.
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