NAFC Pre-Budget Submission 2025-2026

Press Release

Recommendation 1: That the Government of Canada establish long-term investment for Friendship Centres with initial annual funding of $65 million

Canada Strong Starts with Friendship Centres: Investing in Urban Indigenous Communities Builds National Resilience

The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is Canada’s long trusted Indigenous service delivery partner. The NAFC has worked directly with the Government of Canada for over 50 years to administer funding across a national network of more than 100 local Friendship Centres and Provincial/Territorial Associations (PTAs). This network forms the largest urban Indigenous service infrastructure in the country. Friendship Centres have operated for over 70 years and are governed by Indigenous peoples, ensuring culturally grounded programs that reflect unique community needs. Friendship Centres serve First Nations, Inuit, Métis, urban Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals, as well as the non-Indigenous community.

i. Overview

Quite simply, Friendship Centres serve more Indigenous people across Canada than any other Indigenous entity. Friendship Centres also are a major employer of Indigenous people, specifically Indigenous women. Friendship Centres operate in major cities, small towns, and remote communities, delivering culturally appropriate programs that reflect the needs of the communities they serve. Friendship Centres collectively reach over 1 million First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals annually including those living off-reserve, outside of their home communities or settlement areas, and beyond Inuit Nunangat. This national reach ensures that Indigenous people in urban, rural, remote, and isolated regions have access to responsive, community-driven support.

The Indigenous population in Canada is young, growing, and increasingly urban. As of 2021, more than 1.8 million people identified as Indigenous, a 9.4% increase from the previous census, and that number is projected to rise to between 2.5 and 3.2 million by 2041. Indigenous peoples remain the youngest demographic in Canada, with the majority living in urban centres. Friendship Centres are already responding to this demographic reality through critical, culturally grounded services. However, increased and sustained investment is crucial to meet current and future demands. Our budget request reflects three core priorities:

(1) Maintaining current service levels,

(2) Enhancing capacity to meet rising needs, and

(3) Funding long-standing, unfunded work that Friendship Centres are already performing.

Investing long-term in a well-resourced Friendship Centre network strengthens Canada, supports the Government of Canada’s reconciliation commitments, and facilitates the transfer of service delivery responsibilities to Indigenous-led organizations. Foundational investments in Friendship Centres are essential to advance economic reconciliation and ensure the full participation of urban Indigenous peoples in the strong one Canadian economy. Friendship Centres are long-standing federal partners and among Canada’s most significant civil society networks, building strong Indigenous communities for current and future generations.

Friendship Centres thrive from coast-to-coast-to-coast as they serve as first points of contact. Each Friendship Centre delivers a surplus of programs, supports, and culturally grounded services that are developed by and for Indigenous communities. Friendship Centres play a direct role in reducing government financial and service burdens and strengthens local economies by addressing systemic barriers and meeting community-identified needs directly.

ii. Millions Served and Multi-million Points of Contact

Friendship Centres over the past year have served approximately 1,000,000 First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and non-Indigenous people. Friendship Centres offered over 2,600 programs that were accessed more than 2,300,000 times. Friendship Centres employ over 3,100 staff and are supported by over 10,300 volunteers.

Build on a Long-lasting Partnership With NAFC

NAFC has held a federal agreement with the Government of Canada for over 50 years. We are a long-time and trusted partner. The current core funding stream for member Friendship Centres is administered from the Government of Canada’s Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP) program. The funding NAFC received through UPIP will discontinue on March 31, 2026. Consequently, over 100 Friendship Centres and Provincial/Territorial Associations are left with no current indication of whether the program will be renewed. We urge the Government of Canada to enter into a restructured long-term funding agreement with the National Association of Friendship Centres to relieve funding uncertainty and meaningfully advance the lives of urban Indigenous peoples nationwide.

Recommendation 1: That the Government of Canada establish long-term investment for Friendship Centres with initial annual funding of $65 million

The Government of Canada’s platform states they will “Increase investments for Indigenous mental health, healing and wellness centres, and Friendship Centres.” (Page 35, Liberal Party of Canada Platform 2025). It is encouraging to see Friendship Centres were included in the Government of Canada’s platform as long-term funding represents a meaningful partnership with the largest Indigenous civil society in Canada. Current funding mechanisms have not kept up with the rate of inflation or the actual cost of services. The NAFC proposes an updated annual amount of $65 million in funding.

The long-term agreement will advance the Friendship Centre Movement to appropriately respond to the growing socioeconomic needs of the rising Indigenous population in urban, rural, and remote communities. Stabilized investment will allow Friendship Centres to continue to provide lifesaving and effective work that supports the goal of building a more prosperous and stronger Canada, daily.

i. Friendship Centre Investments Advance Government Commitments

Friendship Centres directly advance reconciliation efforts in Canada and further its obligations under key national and international frameworks including:

47 of the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action;
76 of the 231 National Inquiry on MMIWG Calls for Justice;
21 of the 46 articles in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); and
9 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The NAFC implemented a direct application process to strengthen the capacity of Friendship Centres to deliver trauma-informed mental health programming and culturally grounded support services. Transferring service delivery responsibilities directly to the NAFC, alongside adequate and long-term funding, provides a clear and actionable path for the Government of Canada to further its commitments to Indigenous peoples. Friendship Centres are increasingly essential to urban Indigenous policy development, community safety, and local economic development. Long-term investment will allow Friendship Centres to continue this work and expand its impact in alignment with federal priorities.

ii. Friendship Centres Respond to Climate Emergencies

Friendship Centres are increasingly responding to the negative impacts of climate change within urban Indigenous communities but receive no dedicated resources for full-cycle emergency preparedness and response. Friendship Centres are already responding to wildfires, floods, storms, extreme temperatures, and other climate-related emergencies often with little to no dedicated support from federal, provincial, or territorial governments. Friendship Centres are uniquely positioned to support vulnerable urban Indigenous populations during crisis events, including Indigenous community members who may be displaced. Investing in Friendship Centres strengthens Canada’s overall emergency response infrastructure as Friendship Centres are already embedded in urban Indigenous communities across every region of the country and have a proven track record of supporting not only Indigenous populations but anyone in need during times of crisis. Further, Friendship Centres often work closely with other response agencies and governments. Funding would not overlap with existing resources. Friendship Centres are positioned to act as lifelines which relieve pressure on municipal systems, reduce response times, and assist in coordinating localized care and resource distribution. Strengthening Friendship Centres benefits all Canadians by enhancing national preparedness, improving service equity, and ensuring that urban communities have reliable community-led points of support when disasters occur.

iii. Community-Driven, Culturally Rooted Wrap-around Service Delivery

Friendship Centres deliver wraparound services that address the full spectrum of community needs through culturally grounded and community-led supports. Friendship Centres offer critical points of access where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people come together to share traditions, build relationships, and promote mutual understanding.

Friendship Centres provide holistic care across five key domains:

(1) Culture through language revitalization programs, ceremony, arts and craft workshopping.
(2) Shelter through childcare, anti-violence services, youth programs, and unhoused or unsheltered supports.
(3) Health through direct mental health supports, disability services, illness support, and recreation.
(4) Direct Support through food security, transportation, justice navigation, and financial assistance.
(5) Development through education programming, employment readiness through reskilling and upskilling, life skills, and tailored training.

The integrated programming Friendship Centres offer ensures individuals and families receive consistent, culturally safe support at every stage of life that reduces barriers for Indigenous peoples and contributes to making Canada strong.

iv. Strengthening Transparency through Data Collection

The NAFC has the Bridging Across Canada database that currently collects data on Friendship Centres at a local, regional, and national level. It is fundamental tool for both internal capacity-building and government transparency. The NAFC current database structure provides capacity to Friendship Centres to collect and analyze community-specific information that reflects the unique contexts, challenges, and needs of urban Indigenous populations. This enables Friendship Centres to design responsive, culturally relevant programs and allocate resources effectively. The data infrastructure also offers a clear opportunity for government partners to understand how investments result in tangible impacts, outcomes, identifying gaps, and aligning funding with lived realities. The database enhances transparency and ensures all funds advance reconciliation and community well-being.

CONCLUSION

Investment in long-term, stable, and predictable funding for Friendship Centres is an investment in the well-being of over 100 communities across Canada. The absence of long-term investment threatens the sustainability of Canada’s largest urban Indigenous service network and places over 1 million Indigenous people at risk of losing access to culturally grounded, community-based programs, and jeopardizes thousands of Indigenous jobs.

To meet the scale of current and future demand, we strongly urge for the establishment of a predictable and long-term funding stream that secures stability with an initial investment of $65 million. Friendship Centres embody the essence of Canada Strong and a one Canadian Economy: resilient, inclusive, and locally driven. Long-term funding is critical to ensuring we remain central to Canada’s efforts in reconciliation, equity, and national well-being.

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