CULTURAL EDUCATION CENTRES PROGRAM

The Cultural Educational Centres Program was established in 1969 in response to strong recommendations by Chiefs, Elders and the National Indian Brotherhood (now called Assembly of First Nations) that a national program was needed by First Nations communities to preserve, maintain and develop their respective language and culture.

Their identification of a need to support Indian and Inuit cultural education was part of their response to the federal government's "White Paper Policy". This "policy" advocated for (among many other things) the abolition of Indian status and reserves for Indian people. The White Paper Policy met strong opposition from First Nations people across Canada.

Jean Chretien, then Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada approved the creation of the Cultural Education Centres Program. At the same time, the Friendship Centres Program was also created with a mandate to establish Indian centres in urban locations to provide programs and services to Indian people relocating to urban areas.

Initially the Cultural Educational Centres Program and the Friendship Centres Program were jointly administered by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Secretary of State (which later became part of the Department of Canadian Heritage). Within four years from the onset these two programs, the Secretary of State elected to administer the Friendship Centres Program whereas Indian and Northern Affairs Canada assumed sole responsibility for the Cultural Education Centres Program.

The Cultural Education Centres Program remains with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and it is administered by the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres pursuant to the program criteria and funding guidelines developed and monitored by Indian and Northern Affairs. These criteria were all designed to protect, enhance and develop Indian culture, and are still in force today for the present centres and programs. They include:

• to revive and develop traditional and contemporary cultural skill of Indian people
• to conduct and facilitate research in Indian heritage and culture
• to increase Indian's knowledge and use of traditional language
• to develop and test culturally-oriented educational curricula, methods and materials for use by establishing programs
• to promote cross-cultural awareness in mainstream educational programs and institutions
• to develop and increase access to new and more accurate information about Indian heritage
• to improve the opportunities for the public to become knowledgeable about and sensitive to the historical and current role of Indian people in Canada

The Cultural Education Centres Program provides financial assistance to the eighty seven First Nations cultural centres. The range of funding allocated to the centres varies among the centres and programs. Although the number of cultural centres and cultural programs totals eighty-seven, there is little uniformity in either the size or range of activities of the centres. For instance, Saskatchewan has only one cultural centre which administers to the language and cultural needs of all First Nations in its province. This kind of cultural centre is identified as a Corporate Centre.

Whereas, the other provinces have a few Corporate Centres and Community-Based Cultural Centres. Community Based Cultural Centres provide program and services specifically for their respective communities. In addition to Corporate Centres and Community Based Cultural Centres, there are a number of Band-directed Cultural Programs which operate either alone or in conjunction with several Band-directed schools or health services.

A main strength of the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres has always been their flexibility in responding to community needs at a local level.