Cultural Brokers Network of Canada
A national network rooted in connection, trust, and shared practice
The Cultural Brokers Network of Canada (CBNC) exists to serve communities by building connections. We are a national network that brings together Cultural Brokers across Canada to foster trust, goodwill, and shared learning.
CBNC is not a program or a training initiative. It is a living community of practice shaped by relationships, shared experience, and a commitment to cultural understanding and equity.
Why CBNC Exists?
Cultural brokering is vital in Canada, where people from around the world arrive on land rich in Indigenous cultural knowledge, within a nation working toward more equitable systems for all.
Cultural Brokering is a living, evolving practice grounded in one essential question:
How can we live well together on this land?
CBNC exists to hold this question collectively — through connection, dialogue, and shared responsibility.
Four Key Components
Relationships
Cultural Brokers build trust between communities, institutions, and individuals, reducing misunderstandings and strengthening social connection.
Leadership
They guide and empower communities to navigate complex systems, supporting participation and self-determination.
Change
By challenging systemic barriers, Cultural Brokers influence policies and practices toward equity and justice.
Support
Through storytelling, advocacy, and accompaniment, Cultural Brokers help newcomers and colleagues feel seen, heard, and valued.
Why is Cultural Brokering needed?
Cultural brokering is needed whenever cultural, social, economic and political gaps and divides exist. It is particularly needed when there is deep inequity experienced by those with the least power.
In Canada, we have been a nation of Indigenous people and migrants from all over the world. Cultural and social diversity and pluralism have always been the inherent features of our nation.
When this diversity is not attended to, the root of racism, social & economic exclusion comes into being. We will always need cultural brokering. What is missing is a shared and deep understanding of this essential practice. For those of who have the courage to take on this practice, we need to be understood, recognized and truly supported.
CBNC & NCBP: Working Together
The Cultural Brokers Network of Canada (CBNC) is a national community rooted in connection, relationships, and shared practice.
The National Cultural Brokers Project (NCBP) is a funded initiative that supports this community through learning, training, and opportunities for systems change.
Together, they strengthen Cultural Brokering across Canada — each with a distinct role, united by a shared purpose.