Government of Canada helps seniors and families through new community projects across country
News Release
April 28, 2016 Montréal, Quebec Employment and Social Development Canada
Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest–Île-des-Soeurs Marc Miller, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, today announced a new partnership with stakeholders through the Social Partnership Initiative in Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC). As part of the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013–2018: Education, Immigration, Communities, and funded through the Social Development Partnerships Program (SDPP), the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) will receive $1.4 million to pool expertise and resources to fund innovative projects in OLMCs that address community priorities.
This funding will create stronger partnerships to help English-speaking minority communities in Quebec create opportunities for vulnerable youth, seniors and newcomers in need of direct assistance to improve employability and basic economic security. The QCGN will play an intermediary role in the development of new skills for community organizations that will enable them to work together with non-traditional partners to respond effectively to the challenges faced by these groups. The Community Innovation Fund project is a unique model that will address social and economic needs to increase the well-being of the targeted populations.
The Government of Canada is committed to working collaboratively with partners and stakeholders to promote the well-being of people in communities across the country, particularly through economic and social security. Budget 2016 delivers on the Government’s agenda to empower all Canadians to build better lives for themselves and to enable them to contribute to and share in the prosperity of the country.
Quotes
“Our government is working hard to ensure the economic and social security of our families and seniors. Through innovative new partnerships such as our work with the Quebec Community Groups Network, and key measures announced in Budget 2016, we will continue to focus our efforts on fostering a prosperous future for our country.”
– The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
“Improving the lives of people in our society is why we were elected. I know that our work with the Quebec Community Groups Network will improve the lives of Canadians by developing stronger partnerships among communities.”
– Marc Miller, Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest–Île-des-Soeurs
“This a real opportunity for our community to take responsibility for identifying needs, building new partnerships, allocating resources, evaluating success, and learning from our combined experience with the project. If we are successful—and we know we will be—we will be creating new opportunities for the community sector: sustainable, predictable, and self-governed resources.”
– James Shea, Vice-President of the Quebec Community Groups Network
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Backgrounder
Partnering with stakeholders in Official Language Minority Communities
The Government of Canada has launched an innovative new partnership with stakeholders through the Social Partnership Initiative (SPI) in Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC). As part of the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013–2018: Education, Immigration, Communities, and funded through the Social Development Partnerships Program (SDPP), $4 million will be delivered through intermediary organizations that have strong and broad engagement with OLMCs.
Through extensive partnerships, these organizations will pool expertise, government and other funding for redistribution to innovative projects in OLMCs that address community priorities for youth in transition (creating opportunities to retain youth in their communities), changing demographics (seniors’ needs), and vulnerable populations.
These organizations will further assist in partnership development at the local level to help sustain project activities and share learnings in both French- and English-speaking minority communities across Canada.
Social Development Partnerships Program
The Social Development Partnerships Program (SDPP) is a grant and contribution program that supports the social infrastructure of Canadian society through investment in not-for-profit organizations to help improve life outcomes for people with disabilities, children and families, and other vulnerable populations.
The SDPP has two core components: the children and families component and the disabilities component. The program also provides the funding authority to support Canada's Volunteer Awards, which recognizes the enormous contribution volunteers make to Canada.
SDPP objectives are to:
- support the development and use of effective approaches to address social issues and challenges;
- develop, exchange and apply knowledge, tools and resources that address social needs of individuals, families and communities;
- foster partnerships and networks to address existing and emerging social issues;
- recognize and support the ability of not-for-profit organizations to identify and address social development priorities; and
- recognize and promote community engagement initiatives (e.g. volunteerism, corporate social responsibility, innovation by not-for-profit organizations, partnerships and coalitions) that mobilize community assets and develop capacities and resources for action.
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