Private member’s bill encourages investment in education

The dream to strengthen First Nations education within the Canadian federal system has a new name—Bill C-599.

On Nov. 17, the Bloc Quebecois introduced the legislation in the form of a private member’s bill. It is meant to encourage the Conservative government to lift the two per cent cap on yearly increases to funding going to First Nations.

The cap has been in place since 1996, and limits educational opportunities for all First Nations students, said  Bloc MP Marc Lemay.

“It’s very dangerous for the First Nations… It means we go slowly, but surely, with the genocide of the First Nations and it’s really urgent we are doing something to give the chance for the First People of Canada to have the right to receive the education on the language, culture and in their community,” said Lemay.

Lemay oversees the Indian and Northern Affairs file for his party, and wants government to open up the national purse and commit dollars to First Nations education.
He said the issue needs no further study. The time for action is now.

“It’s a question of money, but, first, it’s an investment of money. It’s not an expense. It’s not a tax. It’s an investment to the First Nations, and we are obliged to do that. If we are not doing that, then we are not respecting the First People of this country… That’s it. That’s all,” Lemay explained.

Government, he said, is not moving promptly on its obligations.

“Now we discover step by step that the government (doesn’t) do what they are supposed to do.”

Government, he said, does not make First Nations issues a priority.

What they fail to absorb, however, is the impact that Bill C-3 will have on First Nations communities. Bill C-3 is the legislation that attempts to provide gender equity in the Indian Act. It was introduced in response to the McIvor ruling that said the Indian registry continues to discriminate against women, their children and their grandchildren.

Under Bill C-3, an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 more people will be added to the Indian registration list. That alone demonstrates the need for an increase in on-reserve funding, said Lemay.

If Bill C-599 is passed it will also bridge the gap between on reserve and off reserve funding inequities. The feds, which fund on-reserve schools, provide far fewer dollars per student than those provided by the province to off-reserve schools.

“Education laws, provincial and territorial, apply on and off the reserve, but the federal government is supposed to fund (on-reserve) schools and the quality of education… but they do it on a lesser level,” said Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nation Child and Family Caring Society.

Since 2006, Lemay has slowly come to realize the challenges faced by on-reserve schools in dealing with the lack of resources provided by the federal government, and said he was shocked by what he’s learned.

“In one community, it’s not so far away, 135 km from Ottawa, they don’t have any computers, no technical courses, no sports programs… We are in 2010. I can’t believe that!”

Since the election of National Chief Shawn Atleo in 2009, it has been the priority of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) to press the issues surrounding First Nations education.

When the AFN launched the National Week of Action on Education in September, the Shannen’s Dream campaign also came alive. It is based on the hopes and dreams of student Shannen Koostachin, whose desire it was that all First Nations children would receive a quality education in clean and comfortable schools.

The young activist made an impact on the human rights movement by stepping up to face members of Parliament while encouraging youth activists, leaders, and faith groups to stand up for equal education, explained Blackstock.

The sudden death of the 15 year old last May in a car accident prompted immediate action by all supporters of the campaign.

MP Charlie Angus put Shannen’s Dream to the House of Commons in Motion 571.

The motion allowed for a discussion of the dire education conditions within Shannen’s own reserve of Attawapiskat, and eventually Lemay’s draft bill completed the motion.

Since November, the campaign has over 22,000 organizations and individuals supporting the cause so that the government, said Blackstock, understands that the people who vote them into office do not accept racial inequalities for First Nations kids.

“We discuss a lot of things and now it’s time to discuss the real thing, and the real thing is what is happening to the kids from Grade 5 to Grade 12. It’s on these grades that we lose the kids, and if we lose the kids than we are going to lose the First Nations.” Lemay wondered how society can expect First Nations kids to develop and work if they don’t complete school.

Lemay hopes the 2011-2012 federal budget will remove the two per cent funding cap, and with the help of the AFN, government will establish a better education funding plan.

“I would like if it is possible, in the beginning of next year, but, we know the works of the House,” Lemay said.