DRAFT The Multiculturalism Grants and Contributions Program also plays an integral role in addressing emerging challenges. The Multiculturalism Program supports all Canadians, not just newcomers and visible minorities. However, the primary stakeholders are ethno-cultural, ethno-racial and religious communities. The Program interacts with approximately 450 community organizations across Canada. The objectives of the Multiculturalism Program, established in 2002, are to: support the involvement of ethno-cultural, ethno-racial and religious communities in decisions of public institutions that affect them in areas such as policing, social services, security, community development, education, the justice system, and health care. invite Canadians to join the fight against racism, and create opportunities for youth and the broad public to talk openly about it and take action. engage and support public institutions in making changes within their organizations to eliminate barriers to access, involvement and representation of ethno-cultural, ethno-racial and religious communities. Since its inception the Multiculturalism Program has evolved to meet emerging chellenges. In this vein, and to address the Government’s focus on integration, new program priorities were introduced in March 2008 which are designed to directly address current challenges. We will discuss these new priorities in more detail in the coming slides.