NAFC says friendship centres laying off staff, need $25M extra from Ottawa

The head of the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) says the organization needs more money to meet the needs of urban Indigenous people across the country. At a news conference in Ottawa this week, CEO Jennifer Rankin said the lack of sustainable funding has had an effect on a number of centres. “With this new government, there’s some education that’s needed from within, said Rankin. “Teaching people the realities of Indigenous people throughout Canada, urban Indigenous realities and letting them know and educating them on friendship centres and what we do and how we contribute to the Canadian economy and how we already are. “The reality on that, being fiscally responsible, there were some executive directors who did have to do layoffs,” said Rankin. “We tried to cost manage and support most of our friendship centres.” Rankin didn’t know how many people have been laid off. Friendship Centres are the country’s largest urban Indigenous service network with more than 100 serving nearly one million people a year through employment and training, housing help, child care, health supports, cultural programming and food security. “We did a scan of our leadership within our movement, and we know 80 per cent of them are women.” Said Rankin. “We’re employing 80 per cent of women in these leadership positions, contributing to the economy and their communities,” she said. The organization says most Indigenous people in Canada now live off reserve in urban, rural and northern communities. NAFC president Pamela Glode-Desrocher at the news conference on Parliament Hill. Photo: Keelan Jacobs/APTN. After cutting the NAFC’s budget in 2025, the Liberals put another $168 million over five years (shared with the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres) in March 2026. The NAFC said it’s now looking for an additional $25 million over five years to continue its work. President Pamela Glode-Desrochers said the centres remain one of the most effective Indigenous service networks in the country and that Budget 2026 should build on that, not leave them scraping by. “We are on the front lines, supporting not only Indigenous communities but anyone who comes through our doors seeking help,” she said. “Budget 2026 is an opportunity to build on this momentum and invest where it will have the greatest impact.” The NAFC is requesting a steady stream of money in “federal housing, infrastructure and employment programs, multi-year funding to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors, permanent money for the emergency work centres already do, including wildfire evacuations. The organization said the $25 million will also help with housing, employment, emergency response, targeted investments in digital AI and Indigenous-led data sovereignty. NAFC is also taking a positive step forward by “hiring an economist to do a review, to look at the true cost of programming. We know what’s happening but we want to back it up with data.” said Rankin. “I think this is what is going to take us to the next level.” The federal government spent the summer gathering requests for the next budget. A date for that budget has not been announced. Continue Reading