The Native Women’s Association of Canada says it has been forced to lay off about half of its workforce due to a significant federal funding shortfall.
The organization, which advocates for Indigenous women and girls, as well as two-spirit, transgender and gender diverse people, said it received grants totaling $48 million last year as part of the national apprenticeship program. Canada and other initiatives.
This year, revenue fell to just $10 million, with staff funding at just $3 million, down from $11 million in 2023, forcing layoffs of 75 contract and permanent staff, about half its strength. labor.
“We have a genocide on our hands in Canada. It’s disheartening every day,” CEO Lynne Groulx said in an interview Wednesday.
“We’re here trying to do what we can. It’s not enough, it’s not enough at all.”
The organization also had to make cuts at all levels of management and also cut telephone services to maintain operations. As a result, Groulx said, those operations will not have the same capacity as previous years.
“It’s an unfortunate realignment,” Groulx said, both for the organization and for the staff members he had no choice but to lay off.
The organization is calling on the federal government to provide more stable core funding to ensure predictability in its advocacy efforts.
President Carol McBride said in a statement Thursday that until that happens, their “financial hands are tied” as they do not have enough money to sustain current operations.
“We need some relief and assistance from this dysfunctional financing model that we live in,” Groulx said.
In a joint statement, two federal departments, Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada, said they are in talks with the association about a new funding agreement to replace the current one, which will end on March 31.
Meanwhile, the association said, it has tried to close the gaps created between those short-term federal agreements by trying to grow its own businesses.
That includes a store, event spaces and a café inside its offices in Gatineau, Que. The group even conducted a feasibility study to explore the idea of building a hotel.
The hotel alone could triple the core funding it receives from the federal government. And while the organization is looking to acquire land for that project, it is still in the preliminary stages, Groulx said.
“We don’t want to depend on the government forever.”
A $100,000 grant was awarded to the organization to explore the feasibility of the project, an expense that Groulx said had no impact on funding levels for staff or other operations.
In the statement, Indigenous Services said it is not aware of any allegations of misappropriation of public funds by the association, but also notes that any such complaints should be directed to the organization itself.
“In accordance with Treasury Board guidance, routine audits of recipients are standard and prudent practice in the management of government resources,” the statement read.
Groulx said he is confident in how his organization handles government funds, citing the annual reports the organization publishes each year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.