A vague, undefined promise is not good enough!

December 11, 2013

Senator Lillian E. Dyck, Saskatchewan – Honourable Senators, I will begin my speech on my inquiry into the inequitable funding and gaps in First Nation education levels by providing some context to the current situation.

How did we arrive at this critical juncture in time?

Just today [December 10, 2013], Minister Valcourt is promising new funding for band-operated schools, if the chiefs agree to the provisions in the proposed FNEA (First Nation Education Act).

When today on the hill and just last week, First Nations held protests over the proposed FNEA.

When just two weeks ago, National Chief Atleo rejected the proposed FNEA as inadequate and unacceptable, and stipulating among other things that there must be a guarantee of adequate funding.

And when the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Special Chiefs Assembly will be discussing First Nation education tomorrow across the river in Gatineau.

First, there have been strong objections from the AFN, regional First Nation organizations and the National Aboriginal Youth council to the draft FNEA for lack of real consultation and no provision for closing the funding gap between on-reserve band-operated schools and provincial schools.

The  list of those First Nations who object include:  the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC), Chiefs of Ontario (COO), Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians, Nishnabe Aski Nation (NAN), Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), London District Chiefs Council, The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), and Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL).

Secondly, there have been numerous reports, including one from the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples,  recommending major policy changes and increased funding for FN K-12 education. Even AANDC itself has completed 2 in-depth studies in the last 2 yrs  in which they themselves conclude that under-funding of First Nation elementary and secondary education  (ESE) is a critical issue that must be remedied.

This is why the Minister’s position not to include provisions in the proposed FNEA to provide equitable funding for K-12 FNE (First Nation education) is incomprehensible.  His position on funding makes no sense based on the overwhelming evidence of under-funding.  Furthermore, as I will explain later, the financial payoffs for investing in FNE are substantial for the individual, the band and Canada as a whole.

Honourable senators, closing the funding gap for First Nation education is one of the recommendations that the department itself, the National Panel and our own senate report recommended.

As I discussed in my introduction, our senate report recommended that:

“based on the evidence placed before us, we believe that a new funding formula, negotiated by the parties and based on real cost drivers, must be developed to replace the current system of contribution agreements.”

Despite all of these recommendations and despite repeated calls from numerous groups to remedy the funding gap, the blueprint for the FNEA does not include provisions to modernize, stabilize, revolutionize or equalize funding for First Nation K-12 education.  The shared goal of educational parity with provincial systems cannot be achieved without proper funding.

Today the Globe and Mail reported that “The Conservative government is promising new funding for schools on reserves, as it struggles to overcome native resistance to a proposed First Nations education act.”. At the same time, the government is warning it will abandon the FNEA unless the chiefs come onside and support it. But the minister would not give any specific details on this so-called new funding.

Honourable senators, this sounds like the minister is using the promise of new funding – either as a bribe or a threat – depending on your perspective.

Honourable senators, the so-called new funding promised by Minister Valcourt is not really “new”-  it is “overdue”.  This is overdue money owed to First Nations.

Our senate report made it clear that federal funding for First Nation education is insufficient and must be modernized in order for the other reforms, such as creating schools boards, to be effective.

Our senate report was adopted unanimously by the committee and by the senate as a whole, but still the Minister resists including our recommendation regarding funding as part of the FNEA.

The Minister is quoted as saying “the proposal (the FNEA) has been hijacked in some areas for political reasons, mostly on the issue of funding.”

Really! I am trying really hard to be polite but … How can the Minister say this with a straight face when  messaging and directions from government headquarters not to invest in Aboriginal education has essentially hijacked our senate report on First Nation education? 

Honourable senators, in the documents that the RCMP have seized during their investigation of Senator Duffy, there was a memo complaining about non-compliance of the senate.

The March 22nd memo from Nigel Wright and others to the Prime Minister states :

“What we see is a laissez-faire system that requires constant direction, supervision and follow-up [from PMO] to ensure that Government messaging and direction are followed. This problem is not limited to expense and residency issues. There are Senate committee reports that call on the government to lower airport rents, create a national pharmacare plan,

. . . “and invest heavily in Aboriginal education.”

In other words, three of our senate committees were out of line in making recommendations not sanctioned by government headquarters.

Honourable Senators, we as individual senators have an opportunity to assert our independence as a chamber of sober, second thought and wisdom by reaffirming our support for our report on First Nation education.  We all know that one of the best strengths of the senate is the committee work and committee reports.

Please, Let’s continue to stand together to support the recommendations made in our report on K-12 First Nation education and adopted by us two years ago.

Honourable Senators on the other side of the chamber, please don’t falter in your support for our own senate report, because of pressure to fall in line with government messaging.  The evidence is overwhelmingly clear – kids on-reserve are not getting an education comparable to provincial schools and under-funding is one of the main root causes.

The Honourable Gerry St. Germain was Chair of the Standing Senate committee on Aboriginal Peoples when we undertook the First Nation education study and tabled our report.  He stated in the foreword to the report:

“This report makes two key recommendations that we believe are crucial to achieving structural reform and moving First Nations education from a situation of crisis to one of hope. Education is the vehicle that lifts us all up.

Our first recommendation, which calls for a First Nations Education Act is intended to design a new and better vehicle. The second recommendation puts the necessary fuel in the vehicle, to get us where we need to go.”   (providing stable, equitable funding)

“The cost — in lost opportunities —-of not meeting this challenge is unacceptably high, both for First Nations and for Canada.”

Honourable Senators, I agree – and I would add – together, Senators must act decisively and boldly.”

Let us heed the wise words of Honourable St. Germain and urge Minister Valcourt to include our senate recommendation on funding as an integral part of the new FNEA.  A vague, undefined promise is not good enough.

 

*Note 1: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of and/or official policy of the Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission and/or the Liberal Party of Canada*
*Note 2: The blog was published in the language it was received*