First Peoples’ Cultural Council wants to keep grants a 'coming

Almost $50 million of grants delivered last fiscal year by First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) generated an additional $91.2 million in gross domestic product (GDP) in Canada, according to a recent report by the Conference Board of Canada. FPCC receives funding from the federal and provincial governments, as well as other public and private sources. Recipients include both First Nations individuals and organizations.Over the one-year period, FPCC created nearly 1,822 full-year jobs and generated $142.3 million in output within the Canadian economy through its administration of grants."Long-term sustainable funding is needed to continue the economic stimulation resulting from FPCC’s activities," the FPCC said in a press release.FPCC CEO Tracey Herbert, said money should follow culture.“Our cultural revitalization work is a key contributor to the economies of B.C. and Canada. The work of First Nations people is a driver of economic activity and First Nations people must be included and valued in culturally based economic development," Herbert said in an FPCC press release.Jobs created through FPCC programs provide skilled employment in a time of economic uncertainty in B.C., which has the second highest poverty rate in the country and where, as reported by Statistics Canada, First Nations have the lowest median incomes of Indigenous peoples in Canada.Alan Chaffe, Associate Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board of Canada, said the study showed FPCC’s operations and investments have a pivotal role in the B.C. and Canadian economy.“In the 2023–24 fiscal year, every dollar of revenue received by FPCC contributed $1.52 to Canada’s GDP and $1.15 to B.C.'s GDP. If we were to consider the broader socio-economic benefits, the economic impacts of investing in the revitalization of languages, arts and heritage of B.C. First Nations would be even more significant," Chaffe said.The First Peoples’ Cultural Council provides grants, training, resources and coaching to assist First Nations in B.C. to revitalize their languages, arts and cultural heritage. The economic impacts of FPCC’s funding are notable in communities such as Bella Bella where the Haíɫzaqv language revitalization program has received $1,431,500 in funding for the period 2018–24.Haíɫzaqv programming only employed one person six years ago and now employs 53. Workers provide immersion learning through a preschool language nest, adult language classes, mentor-apprentice opportunities and curriculum development. The Haíɫzaqv language is being documented through recordings, archiving and digitization. Some language learners are now teachers with careers in language revitalization in their remote community. FCPP funds made the Haíɫzaqv programs mushroom, causing a need for more space. Thanks to even more funding, that new space opened on November 7, 2024, providing a permanent, dedicated home for programs, archives, a recording studio and office spaces.Ǧíwilṃ́ǧa Frances Brown, Initiatives Director at Haíɫzaqv Revitalization, said, “In 2018 we had one staff member and that was me; now we have 53. Without the FPCC funding, we wouldn't have been able to employ as many as we have."Brown said more revitalization could only come with more FPCC funds."The impact that FPCC has is phenomenal for us because we are bringing our language back to living and we cannot do that with the current funding we have. We can't afford to go backwards when you have five fluent speakers left," Brown said. "I think it's really important for the government to recognize that we need the funding that's available to continue to go forward."Spencer Chandra Herbert, B.C. Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, seemed to agree. In the FPCC press release, Herbert said the council was creating "significant economic opportunities, particularly in rural and remote communities across our province. This is a shining example of reconciliation in action, and a testament to how investing in culture and tradition benefits us all—economically and socially.”The FPCC says its programs align with the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice and the B.C. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.