Our message to Conservatives: you’re doing it wrong!

December 4, 2013

For Immediate Release

OTTAWA – From the far north to the southernmost reaches of our territories; from the pacific coast and stretching across the vast prairie plains; to Ontario and Quebec and all throughout the eastern coast – Indigenous leaders and organizations are saying one thing: the Conservative plan for First Nations Education is unilateral, overly paternalistic, and unacceptable.

The government proposal for their First Nations Education Act (FNEA) is yet again another top-down Conservative approach that reeks of colonialism” says Chad Cowie, National Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission. “This proposal was developed without any meaningful consultation, lacks a funding commitment, does not support culture and languages education, is inconsistent with Indigenous rights, and injects unilateral federal oversight into the process.”

National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Shawn Atleo stated in his open letter to Minister Valcourt that “the current Federal Proposal for a Bill for First Nation Education is not acceptable to First Nations” and that “we will stand firm but we will not stand still”.

The proposed FNEA plan was introduced by Conservative Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Bernard Valcourt last month to immediate and widespread condemnation from Indigenous leaders across the country. The proposal aims to impose strict educational standards while not providing any new resources. We now also know the Conservatives’ refusal to fund First Nations students attending school on reserves at the same level as their provincial counterparts is coming straight from the top. The PMO memo in the RCMP Duffy/Wright documents complained “investing heavily in Aboriginal education” contradicts government messaging and direction.

“This peek behind the scenes of the Conservatives’ cynical political machine underscores why we cannot trust Minister Valcourt when he says we should just pass government legislation reforming First Nations education without any money attached and trust that funding will follow,” said Dr. Carolyn Bennett, Liberal Aboriginal Affairs critic.

The Conservative plan for First Nations education continues to ignore the significant funding gap that exists between students from First Nations communities and those in the rest of the country. The Conservatives need to push pause on this flawed, top-down approach and sit down with First Nations communities to build a workable, fully funded plan that respects, supports and empowers First Nations to control their own education systems.

“The Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission will continue to oppose all unilateral legislation without meaningful consultation and advocate a respectful nation-to-nation partnership” concluded Chad Cowie. “We’ve seen what imposed education looks like and what the effects are. Our message to the Conservatives is simple: you’re doing it wrong!”

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For more information on the Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission, please contact:

Kevin Seesequasis
Vice-President (Communications)
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