Main Activities

In general, the Federal Interlocutor works with Métis, Non-Status Indian and urban Aboriginal organizations, as well as with provincial governments where appropriate, to find practical ways to improve the life chances of Métis, Non-Status Indians and urban Aboriginal people. Main activities of the Federal Interlocutor are:

Federal Interlocutor's Contribution Program

The Federal Interlocutor provides funding to support bilateral and tripartite processes (see below) and to support Métis, Non-Status Indian and off-reserve Aboriginal organizations for building capacity and electoral and financial accountability, so that these organizations are better able to represent their constituents, become more accountable, develop partnerships and develop and train their personnel. In addition, the Federal Interlocutor provides modest funding to organizations for projects that recognize the contributions of Métis to Canada.

Bilateral Relationships

The Federal Interlocutor maintains a bilateral relationship with the Métis National Council and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. Bilateral discussions provide a forum where these organizations can meet federal ministers to discuss priority issues with respect to the people they represent, helping to inform federal policies, raise political awareness of the concerns and interests of Métis and Non-Status Indians, and supporting links with a broad range of other activities, such as the federal-provincial-territorial-Aboriginal discussions.

Tripartite Negotiation Processes

Tripartite negotiation processes enable provincial, regional and urban Métis and off-reserve Aboriginal organizations to engage with provincial and federal governments to build effective partnerships and to participate in negotiations of practical measures to strengthen organizational governance capacity, support their service delivery institutions and discuss better access to federal and provincial programs and services. The federal government shares the costs of the tripartite self-government negotiations with the provinces. Tripartite self-government negotiations should result in

a) the provinces, Métis and off-reserve Aboriginal organizations and the Government of Canada developing partnerships which foster greater cooperation and the optimizing of resources; and

b) improved relations with the provinces on Métis and off-reserve Aboriginal issues.

Urban Aboriginal Strategy

The Office of the Federal Interlocutor assists the Government of Canada in addressing the serious socio-economic conditions that many urban Aboriginal people are facing through the Urban Aboriginal Strategy. This initiative seeks:

a) to facilitate cooperation and create partnering opportunities among all stakeholders;

b) to improve the access of urban Aboriginal people to programs and services; and

c) to better coordinate these programs and services.

The Federal Interlocutor also administers a small, time-limited contributions program under the Urban Aboriginal Strategy to support Aboriginal capacity to participate in the pilot projects currently being conducted in eight priority urban centres (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Toronto). These pilot projects are intended to test new ideas on how the federal and provincial governments could better respond, through partnership, to the local needs of urban Aboriginal people.

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