Two Aboriginal Canadian women want to make some noise in New York City

Christine Spence, part Algonquin and Cree, moved to New York City from Winnipeg, Canada two years ago because she was in love with a New Yorker.

"My lease was up in Winnipeg so he was like, 'So, do you want to stay here in Winnipeg or should we move to New York?'" said Spence, 23.

"Who doesn't want to move to New York? It's always been kind of like my dream," she said.

Her relationship with her boyfriend didn't last but her love of the city has kept her here.

Spence lives in a one-bedroom basement apartment located about two blocks away from Central Park. She works at a yoga spa in mid-town Manhattan.

"I have a passion for fashion and this is the place to be," said Spence, who has applied to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in the fall.

Spence's move to New York City inspired her friend, Francine Compton, part Soto and Cree, to move to the city from Winnipeg to seek better job opportunities.

American Indians, or Aboriginal people in Canada, can legally work in the United States without applying for a work visa. A section of the Jay Treaty, which was signed between the United States and Great Britain in 1795, guarantees that Aboriginal Canadians can cross the border to trade and travel. The provisions of the treaty were included in U.S. Immigration Law in 1952.

Compton, 26, who previously was a television studio director at the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, came to New York to see if she has what it takes to work in the competitive media industry in New York City.

"I saw it as an opportunity to see what I could do, to come here and make any noise here," Compton said.

But Spence said she had more selfish reasons to convince her friend to quit her job and move to New York.

"I need her here with me," said Spence. "Our families know each other so it was kind of like having a sister here. And that support, I never had for like, these two years, so she can't leave me."