About Us

2010 Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages
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Legislative Amendment Consultation
Legislative Amendment Survey Results
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Overview
The First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council (the First Peoples' Council) is a provincial Crown Corporation formed by the government of British Columbia in 1990 to administer the First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Program. The First Peoples' Council is supported by legislation: the First Peoples Heritage, Language and Culture Act.

The mandate of the First Peoples' Council is to assist B.C. First Nations in their efforts to revitalize their languages, arts and cultures. During the past 19 years, the First Peoples' Council has successfully distributed over $20 million to British Columbia’s Aboriginal communities for language, arts and culture projects.

The First Peoples' Council is committed to providing communities with a high level of support and quality resources. Our cultural heritage, and the living expression of our identities, is integral to the health of all members of our Aboriginal communities, as well as to the well-being of all British Columbians.

The First Peoples' Council serves:

Vision Statement

B.C. Aboriginal languages, cultures and arts are thriving. The cultural knowledge expressed through Aboriginal languages, cultures and arts is recognized and embraced.

Mission Statement

The First Peoples' Council provides leadership for the revitalization of Aboriginal languages, culture and arts in British Columbia. The First Peoples' Council monitors the status of B.C. Aboriginal languages, cultures, and arts, and facilitates and develops strategies which help Aboriginal communities recover and sustain their heritage. The First Peoples' Council is committed to establishing itself as the key source of current and accurate information on the state of Aboriginal languages in British Columbia and to continuing to provide program coordination and funding for Aboriginal language and cultural preservation and enhancement.

Mandate

The First Peoples' Council Mandate, as laid out in the FPHLCC Act, is to:

The Board

Each of the 24 Tribal Councils in B.C. elect a representative to the First Peoples' Council Advisory Committee. Acting as liaisons, the Advisory Committee members relay up-to-date information on current First Peoples' Council programs and initiatives to their communities. The First Peoples' Council Advisory Committee elects some of its members to the governing Board of Directors, which also includes business, urban, and government representatives, who are each appointed by the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. In recognition of a collaborative working relationship with the First Nations Education Steering Committee, a FNESC representative participates as a non-voting observer at the meetings of the Board.

Click here to find out more about the current Board and Advisory Committee.