How are we working together?
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (PSSG) continues to take a distinctions-based approach on this action and strives to ensure that input and representation is diverse, including gathering perspectives from urban and rural First Nations and Métis Peoples; on and off reserve First Nations Peoples; and First Nations, Métis, Inuit and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples.
PSSG continues to meet with key First Nations and Métis organizations, committees and groups. Other ministries engage their First Nations and Métis partners in support of ministerial mandate commitments included in the Path Forward.
Safe and Supported is a three-year strategy to guide cross-provincial government efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV). The Ministry of Finance (FIN) used a distinctions-based approach to engagement in developing the plan, including input from Indigenous leadership, organizations, families, survivors, women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity and FIN also regularly engage with the Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women, the GBV Action Plan Advisory Committee, the First Nations Leadership Council, the First Nations Justice Council and Métis Nation British Columbia. Engagement has informed current initiatives, including Indigenous-led prevention, healing, safety planning and ceremony. The Province continues to work with Indigenous and community partners to monitor progress and implement further initiatives.
Are there challenges?
The Path Forward Community Fund is time limited. Careful consideration of resourcing and collaboration will be needed to ensure continuity of the fund in the longer term, to support future initiatives, which may be impacted when the Canada-B.C. bilateral funding agreement sunsets in March 2027. The Province is continuing to work with the federal government to advocate for an extension to the agreement.
Under Safe and Supported, funding has been provided to support Indigenous-led initiatives, including grant programs. Granting partners continue to report that interest in their grants from Indigenous applicants is robust and typically exceeds available funds.
The Canada-B.C. bilateral funding agreement that is supporting many Indigenous-led approaches to addressing GBV in B.C. will be ending in March 2027. B.C. is continuing to advocate to the federal government that the bilateral agreement be extended.
Highlights
On June 3, 2025, PSSG released a Status Update for the Path Forward. It includes updates on the progress made to advance the 28 key commitments drawn from the 2021 Ministerial mandate letters that reflect priorities identified in community dialogues. The Status Update also outlined cross-provincial government actions including community-based supports and initiatives in health and wellness; housing; justice and public safety; child welfare, early learning, education and skills training; and transportation, connectivity and environment. All 28 key commitments are well underway and six are complete.
Also in June 2025, the Path Forward Community Fund received an additional investment of $5 million to support Indigenous-led capacity building and safety planning. The fund has to date received combined provincial and federal funding of $20.84 million that has supported five rounds of grant applications resulting in 107 community-based, anti-violence projects around the province.
Through the implementation of Safe and Supported, the Province is supporting Indigenous-led approaches that centre Indigenous knowledge, cultural practices, justice systems and structures and Indigenous-led healing and well-being for survivors and their families. “Lifting Up Indigenous-led Approaches” is one of the four priorities outlined in Safe and Supported: B.C.’s Gender-Based Violence Action Plan. More than half of the funding available each year through a four-year Canada-B.C. bilateral agreement has been allocated by the Province to support Indigenous-led approaches to addressing GBV. Allocations in 2025/26 continue to support progress on the Path Forward; provide grants for healing-focused Indigenous-led community projects through the Giving Voice project; support the First Peoples’ Cultural Council to fund First Nations cultural practices and ceremonies; support Métis Nation British Columbia’s GBV programming; and support the BC First Nations Justice Council to advance the First Nations Justice Strategy and Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan.
Previous years’ progress
Highlights
The June 3, 2024, Path Forward Status Update included progress made on three key broad cross-government actions:
- the Anti-Racism Data Act;
- the Anti-Racism Legislation; and
- Safe and Supported: BC’s Gender-Based Violence Action Plan.
The Status Update also outlined cross-government actions to end violence, including community-based supports and initiatives in the areas of health and wellness, housing, public safety, child welfare, education, reconciliation, arts and culture, transportation and connectivity. All 28 mandate commitments are well underway and six are complete.
The Path Forward Community Fund received an additional investment of $10 million in federal Women and Gender Equality funding to support Indigenous-led capacity building and safety planning, to assist communities in visioning what they need to create and implement their own culturally safe solutions to ending violence. The fund has supported four rounds of funding to date, resulting in 86 Indigenous-specific, anti-violence projects, with further funded projects to be announced in the near future.
Examples of funded projects include seasonal culture camps that promote efforts to eradicate violence; gatherings and circles for Elders and Knowledge Holders, boys, men and male-identifying individuals to address gender and sex-based violence; and training workshops for fathers, including healthy communications and parenting skills.
On December 10, 2023, the Province released Safe and Supported, which sets out four priority areas to focus action and resources to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in the province, including a priority on “Lifting Up Indigenous-led Approaches”. This year, related actions supported Indigenous self-determination by putting resources in the hands of First Nations and Indigenous communities and organizations to determine their own priorities in a way that best meets the needs of Indigenous Peoples.
In addition to the $10 million for the Path Forward Community Fund, allocations included $1 million for the Giving Voice project, which supports healing through community-based projects led by Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender diverse people; $2 million for the First Peoples’ Cultural Council to fund First Nations’ cultural practices and coming-of age ceremonies to help rebuild connections to community, culture and Indigenous ways of knowing, and help reduce the risk of violence; and $2 million to support Métis Nation BC to develop new gender-based violence programming specific to the experiences of Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
Through Safe and Supported, the Province will continue to support Indigenous-led approaches that centre Indigenous knowledge, cultural practices, justice systems and structures, and support Indigenous-led healing and well-being for survivors and their families.
How are we working together?
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General continues to take a distinctions-based approach on this action and strives to ensure that input and representation is diverse, including collecting perspectives from urban and rural Indigenous Peoples, on and off reserve Indigenous Peoples, First Nations, Métis, Inuit and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
The ministry has met with key Indigenous organizations, committees and groups. Other ministries engage Indigenous partners in support of related ministerial mandate commitments.
Safe and Supported: BC’s Gender-Based Violence Action Plan is a three-year plan launched in December 2023 to guide new action across government to prevent, address and respond to gender-based violence. The Ministry of Finance approached engagement on the plan’s development using a distinctions-based approach. Engagement balanced hearing from leadership and directly from Indigenous organizations, families, survivors, women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity and the Gender Equity Office regularly engaged with the Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women, the Gender-Based Violence Action Plan Advisory Committee, the First Nations Leadership Council and Métis Nation BC. Letters were also sent to all First Nations and the Alliance of BC Modern Treaty Nations to invite dialogue and discussion. The Province continues to work with Indigenous and community partners during implementation to monitor progress and roll out further initiatives.
Are there challenges?
There are a number of key challenges to this work:
- The Path Forward Community Fund is time limited. Careful consideration of resourcing and collaboration will be needed to ensure continuity of the fund in the longer term, to support future initiatives.
- Under the safe and supported action plan, funding has been provided to support several Indigenous-led initiatives, including grant programs administered by or on behalf of the First People’s Cultural Council, the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres and the Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women. Granting partners report that interest in their grants from Indigenous applicants is robust and typically exceeds available funds. The level of demand for grants, and for other services being delivered by the First Nations Justice Council and Métis Nation BC, is being monitored.