The Government of Canada Announces Support for Native Studies at Trent University
PETERBOROUGH, September 26, 2002 -- Peter Adams, Member of Parliament for Peterborough, on behalf of Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps, today announced funding of $854,000 for the Faculty of Native Studies at Trent University. The funding will enable the Faculty of Native Studies to complete an essential design component of the First Peoples' House of Learning (FPHL)."The Government of Canada is committed to work in partnership with Aboriginal peoples and communities, and to encourage cultural expression," said Mr. Adams. "This funding will help ensure that the First Peoples' House of Learning truly reflects the needs of the people who use it."
The goal of the FPHL is to foster a dynamic exchange between the study of Indigenous knowledge, the contemporary Aboriginal way of life, and the presentation of Aboriginal heritage. The FPHL intends to achieve this goal through the development of Aboriginal cultural activities.
The construction of the FPHL began in June 2002. It will include academic facilities, residential accommodations, and the Aboriginal cultural centre. The facility is scheduled to be operating by September 2003.
Financial assistance is being provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage, through its Cultural Spaces Program. Cultural Spaces Canada seeks to improve physical conditions for artistic creativity and innovation. It is also designed to increase access for Canadians to performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and to museum collections and heritage displays.
Funding for this project was provided for in the December 2001 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
Information:
Sonya-Kim St-Julien
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-7788
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