OTTAWA – Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright, on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced today Government of Canada funding support for the Youth Resiliency Project.  This project – supported by the Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund – will enable communities to better deal with drug use by youth in rural Alberta. 

“As part of the National Anti-Drug Strategy, I am pleased that we can contribute to a community-based approach which will give Albertan youth the life-skills they require to make better decisions about drug use,” said Minister Aglukkaq.  “These community-based projects provide young people with the wide-ranging support they need at home, in school, and in the wider community to tackle serious decisions.”

    These initiatives are another step in implementing the Government of Canada’s National Anti-Drug Strategy, which was announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in October 2007.  The funding for this project supports this strategy, which focuses on prevention, treatment and enforcement.

 “Parents and grandparents in this part of the country are very concerned that their children and grandchildren may be enticed or tricked into devastating drug addictions,” said MP Leon Benoit. “The Youth Resiliency Project will increase community capacity to reduce youth drug use and other at-risk behaviors. The initiative will take important steps over the next three years to support positive youth development through planned activities in communities throughout the Vermilion River Region.”

The Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund provides financial support for health promotion and prevention projects at the national, provincial and local levels. It addresses a wide range of illicit drug use issues, especially among vulnerable populations including youth.  Today, the Youth Resiliency Project – which serves 13 rural Albertan communities in the Vermilion River Region – will receive up to $327,700 over the next three years.

Please visit the National Anti-Drug Strategy’s website  ( www.nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca ) for more information.