Aboriginal Participation

Minister for Foreign Affairs David Emerson unveils the Four Host First Nations Commemorative Coin at the Aboriginal Business Summit on February 2, 2008.

The preparations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have seen a historic level of engagement from Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.

The Government of Canada is working with its 2010 Games Partners to achieve unprecedented Aboriginal participation in all aspects of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It is working to ensure the 2010 Winter Games leave a legacy of economic and social benefits for all Aboriginal Peoples of Canada.

During the bid phase, Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh, the four First Nations that will host the 2010 Winter Games on their shared traditional ancestral territories, were part of an Aboriginal 2010 Winter Games Bid Secretariat (Aboriginal Secretariat), which fully participated in the development of the 2010 bid proposal. The Governments of Canada and British Columbia jointly funded the operating costs of the Aboriginal Secretariat, providing $150 000 each. The Aboriginal Secretariat played an important role in Vancouver’s successful campaign, with their involvement acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee. These four First Nations went on to form the Four Host First Nations Society in November 2004.

The Four Host First Nations Society facilitates engagement between First Nations and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) to ensure that the Games are successful, that the First Nations benefit from positive 2010 economic and social legacies, and that the First Nations’ languages, traditions, protocols and cultures are meaningfully acknowledged, respected, and represented in the planning, staging and hosting of the Games.

The International Olympic Committee recognizes the importance of indigenous participation in the Olympic Movement, and VANOC has identified Aboriginal participation as one of its key sustainability performance goals.

Musqueam Elder Larry Grant performs a blessing at the unveiling of UBC Thunderbird Arena and official launch of the Aboriginal Art Program.

In fact, VANOC and the Four Host First Nations Society signed a protocol agreement in November 2005, marking the first time in Olympic history that Aboriginal peoples of Canada have been formal partners with an Olympic organizing committee.

To pursue its own goal of Aboriginal participation, the Government of Canada has made significant investments in the Four Host First Nations Society and in Olympic Legacies for the Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

The Government of Canada also has supported, and continues to support, a number of initiatives, including the 2010 Aboriginal Business Summit, hosted by the Four Host First Nations Society in early 2007, the Squamish and Lil’wat Cultural Centre, which opened in July 2008, and the Find Your Passion in Sport Aboriginal Poster Series. These initiatives work to engage both local and national Aboriginal communities.

Meet some of Canada's most interesting Aboriginal individuals and communities through the stories and videos on Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's Web site feature: Aboriginal Participation in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Discover more about the many initiatives underway.