Photo by Phil Fontaine
The condition of social services on Aboriginal reserves has attracted some attention in the media recently, particularly with the state of emergency in Attawapiskat First Nation. As usual, most of the attention has fixated on determining who is “responsible” for the situation. The provincial government pointed to the federal government, the federal government implicated the Attawapiskat Band Council, and the council cast blame back squarely on the shoulders of unresponsive government officials.
Casting the question of responsibility aside, it is hard to deny that Attawapiskat, like many Aboriginal communities in Canada, has social services that are chronically underfunded. Given that over a third of Attawapiskat’s on reserve population is under the age of 19, education funding is particularly important. A recent comparison undertaken by the Chiefs of Ontario found that band schools receive approximately 35% less of the per-student funding that students in the provincial system receive. Much of this discrepancy stems from a 2% annual cap on federal funding for education that has been in place since 1996. Statistics Canada estimates that educational costs from the 1997-1998 to 2003-2004 school year increased by 3.5% annually, and have further risen since. The population of school-aged First Nations youth has outpaced this growth substantially during this period as well. Federal funding has not kept pace with the increasing costs of providing a quality education at the primary and secondary levels.
Attawapiskat First Nation also has a severe shortage of physical space for instruction. The community’s only primary school, J.R. Nakogee School, has been closed since May 2000 because of site contamination from a diesel leak. This has left students housed in temporary portables. More than a decade and four federal Indian Affairs Ministers later, funds still have not been provided for a new school.
The provincial government has been reluctant to step up to the plate and fill this funding gap, since, in accordance with legally-binding treaty agreements, First Nations education is a federal responsibility. The federal government has refused to lift the 2% cap on neither funding for First Nations education or on the Post-Secondary Student Support Program for Status Indian and recognized Inuit post-secondary students, citing effectiveness and fiscal constraints. In the end, Attawapiskat’s youth suffer. Parents are reluctant to send their children to substandard schools, and inadequate preparation not only leaves students lacking the hard skills necessary for success in a post-secondary environment, it also impacts student confidence and motivation.
Education is certainly not the only issue facing Attawapiskat First Nation, but it is a crucial one. Children and youth require early support to develop the professional and personal skills they need to become strong contributors to their communities and the economy. All Aboriginal students deserve access to a culturally appropriate and supportive primary, secondary and post-secondary education system that meets their learning needs – whether on reserve or off. Rather than finger-pointing and blame shifting, the provincial and federal governments should be working together with Aboriginal communities to improve the education systems available to all Aboriginal students.
Sam Andrey is the Executive Director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, and Zach Dayler is the National Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. With files from Laura Pin.
