New funding for community support, multiculturalism and anti-racism initiatives in Langley and Surrey

JOHN Aldag, MP for Cloverdale-Langley City, this week announced three new funding streams that will strengthen diverse communities and support anti-racism initiatives in Surrey and Langley. The government is investing a total of $51.9 million over three years, which includes new funding of $21 million for projects, events, and community capacity building. Aldag made this announcement on behalf of Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism.

Consisting of three components, this new funding will support:

1. Projects that address racism and discrimination with a focus on Indigenous peoples and racialized women and girls;

2. Events that promote intercultural and interfaith understanding, and celebrate a community’s history and culture, such as heritage months recognized by Parliament; and

3. Community capacity building projects that will help recipients support the inclusion of newcomers and diverse communities.

Aldag said programs like these help bring Canadians together and enable people from all backgrounds to fully participate in society. Those interested in applying for this new funding are asked to contact Canadian Heritage at:

pch.soutienauxcollectivités-communitysupport.pch@canada.ca.

“Although Canada is a welcoming and diverse country, our government knows that we can do better. That’s why we are proud to launch funding for initiatives that will celebrate our diversity, embrace our differences and address issues of racism and discrimination. By encouraging mutual understanding between all Canadians, programs like this will help build a society where everyone feels a true sense of belonging and can fully participate in their community,” said Joly.

“Diversity is our strength and it is important that each of us works towards fostering a more caring and inclusive Canada. This funding will help us celebrate and embrace our differences, show pride in our individual and collective identities and ancestries, and work towards better understanding of others,” added Aldag.