Stay on target [editorial]

It’s hard to get a word in edgewise in this news climate, dominated as it is with the Senate Scandal and the ruling Conservative malfeasance, the RCMP investigations of Duffy and Wright and now the PMO, and, of course, the clown car that is the Ford Nation in Toronto. How can anything sane compete for attention when the circus rolls into town? What a head-spinning mess we’ve witnessed from Rob Ford, who I’m sure should be getting a lovely muffin basket sometime soon for getting the Prime Minister off the front pages for at least the last couple of weeks. Darn those pesky police investigators for dragging the focus back to Harper and what he knew about a $90,000 cheque cut to “pay back” the housing allowance for a senator who shouldn’t have had the job in the first place because he didn’t live in the region of the country for which he was appointed.

But there is other business at hand, important business, which is getting serious short shrift. Namely, the First Nations Education Act that will be seriously damaging to First Nations across the country, with its oppressive oversight and control by the federal government. The legislation runs contrary to the goals of self-determination, taking us back to the mid-last century. It runs contrary to what the people have been telling the government what they want and need, including adequate funding for a service that is directed by First Nations for themselves.

This is no short-term damage we’re anticipating if this bill is allowed to become law. It’s not something that can be undone if we don’t get it right now. Our children will be stuck with the consequences of this for years after, so let’s not rush things. History shows us that enough harm has been done over the brief time since contact.

It was good to see the young people who attended the AFN National Youth Council Summit stand up and hold Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt’s feet to the fire on the proposed act. Nice to see they are engaged and working actively, even if Valcourt dismisses the pushback as “rhetoric”. Never mind him. He’ll learn not to underestimate your interest and resolve. Our young people have taught many lessons to ministers over the last year. Remember former minister John Duncan’s dismissal of Idle No More as just a social media thing? Out of touch they are with your power.

You see our Elders efforts for you have paid off in spades. Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, it was deemed so important for First Nations to take back control of the education of our children that our parents and grandparents put it all on the line for us. There was a determined fight to wrestle back education responsibility and authority from the federal government, with sit-ins and protests staged, walks on parliament and legislatures, because the minds of the children were at stake.

Our parents wanted us to be taught in the right way, built up and empowered, not torn down and abused like they had experienced in the residential and public school systems. They sacrificed to get us to this point, and now we must continue the fight to ensure their efforts were not in vain.

That’s how important getting this right, right now is. And with the Summit participants’ reluctance to take the minister at his word that this version of a First Nations Education Act would be a good thing for everyone, like they did in Saskatoon Nov. 20, it tells us that our parents’ vision remains strong inside the children and grandchildren. All those who occupied schools, signed petitions, made placards and spoke truth to power 50 years ago would be proud of those young people today.

Valcourt left the room after addressing the youth having said he might not even table the legislation at all, shelving the bill if consultation determines it fails the smell test. That’s some leverage there to be used, we’d say. A crack in the wall is beginning to develop.

However, if we have learned anything from the Harper government, we know that what they say they might do and what they actually do can be completely opposite things. So keep it up at the grassroots level and work with like-minded people to build the education system that your parents dreamed for you to have. Let’s not let the distractions of kings and fools sidetrack our long-term, hard-fought agenda.

Windspeaker