Aboriginal education on federal agenda

Our news & views

January 19, 2012

Aboriginal students receive $2,000 to $3,000 less in education funding per student/per year than off-reserve students across the country, and that gap continues to grow. An upcoming meeting in Ottawa may signal some hope for change.

Next week, for the first time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be meeting with Canada’s First Nations leaders to begin to “re-set” the relationship between First Nations and the federal government.

Education will be high on the agenda:

  • Aboriginal students receive $2,000 to $3,000 less in education funding per year than off-reserve students across the country and that gap continues to grow.
  • The proportion of the Aboriginal population aged 25 to 64 years without a high school diploma is 19 percentage points higher than the proportion of the non-Aboriginal population of the same age group.
  • A recent report from a Senate committee on aboriginal peoples, chaired by Tory Senator Gerry St. Germain and supported by Senate Liberals, recommended that native leaders across the country co-operate to establish school boards and education ministries, that could oversee federal education funding.
  • Since the inception of Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaq Education Act, which is Canada’s first self-government arrangement in education, the annual graduation rate for the approximately 2,800 kindergarten to Grade 12 students has increased from 50% to 70%.

People For Education Viewpoint:

Ensuring all Aboriginal young people have all the supports they need and access to strong, culturally relevant education, is critical for the health and strength of our whole society and a responsibility for us all. The Crown – First Nations Gathering is an important first step, but in recent interviews, Prime Minister Harper has seemed to be warning the public that the meetings will not result in any major or immediate changes.