News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government continues to invest in multicultural organizations across the province to support and promote inclusion, diversity and language training.

“Our province believes in supporting newcomers and immigrants through a variety of different means, whether it is through support for cultural festivals, second language training or other forms of learning experiences,” said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault. “It is important for us as a province to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for newcomers and immigrants while highlighting the positive impact immigration and multiculturalism have on our province.”

Some of the organizations that received funding include:

• the Multicultural Association of Greater Moncton – $20,000 to support the Anglophone East School District to provide an English Additional Language summer camp and an additional $15,000 to support the Mosaïq Multicultural Festival;

• the Multicultural Association of Fredericton – $24,500 to support the 2016 Cultural Expressions Festival and an additional $20,000 to promote Black History Month, the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, World Refugee Day and Canadian Multiculturalism Day throughout schools in the Fredericton area;

• the New Brunswick African Association – $10,000 to assist in hosting the African Festival 2016; and

• New Brunswick Chinese United – $2,000 to support the promotion of Chinese culture and a sense of belonging.

“By supporting these organizations, we are giving people new to our province the opportunity to learn and gain skills that will help give them opportunities to become members of the workforce,” said Arseneault. “Our main priority as a government is to create jobs and grow the economy, and through these investments we are taking another step in the right direction to achieve our goals.”

To date, more than $190,000 of the multicultural grants funding has been allocated in the 2016-17 fiscal year.

The funding is provided through the Multicultural Grants Program to help community partners meet the following objectives:

• ensure respect for and adherence to the principles embodied in the New Brunswick Human Rights Act;

• eliminate ethnic and racial discrimination by identifying and removing societal barriers to full and equal participation;

• assist newcomers in identifying and overcoming cultural barriers which impede full and equal participation;

• increase public awareness and understanding of the multicultural composition of New Brunswick society through educational initiatives;

• ensure freedom of choice in matters of cultural commitment and expression in a spirit of acceptance;

• encourage retention, enhancement and sharing of cultural heritages among all cultural communities; and

• encourage civic participation in all aspects of New Brunswick life.

Funding granted through the program is often accessed by smaller ethnocultural and multicultural associations. Projects typically funded include cultural festivals, educational events and lectures, public awareness and pro-diversity programming, and similar events.