Anishinabek citizens demand enhanced education and training opportunities
By Joey Krackle
Education and training were critical Anishinabek concerns during discussions with the Nipissing-Timiskaming electoral candidates at the Oct. 5 Nbisiing discussion.
Education is a crucial issue for Anishinabek citizens. Kindergarten to Grade 12 First Nation schools are critically underfunded thereby denying First Nation youth access to equal opportunities in learning as compared to other Canadian students to the point where some have termed it “genocidal”. Moreover, since 1971 the Anishinabek First Nation leadership has been demanding First Nation control of education. Electoral candidates were asked for their commitments to First Nation education if elected.
New Democratic Party candidate Kathleen Jodouin committed to “removing the 2% cap and providing First Nations with control over their schools as well as implementing the NDP Aboriginal platform”.
Green Party candidate Nicole Peletier declared that the federal government “must recognize that the First Nation right to learn is a fundamental right. She pointed out that between 2001 and 2011, about 18,000 First Nation individuals have been denied funding to further their education and thereby access to opportunities for a better livelihood”.
She stated that the Green Party would “remove the 2% cap and provide control over education to First Nations as it is part of the treaties signed between the Anishinabek leadership and different levels of government.”
Liberal candidate Anthony Rota asserted that education is the fundamental building block of life and committed to removing the 2% cap and providing more equitable funding as outlined in the Liberal platform. He stressed that the Liberals would provide “predictable and sustainable funding which would be longer than one year”. This would permit First Nations to develop long-term education solutions for their citizens.
He stressed that enhanced education opportunities for First Nations only happens when there is a Nation-to-Nation relationship and respect on both sides and working together and reminded the participants that that Prime Minister Paul Martin’s government worked with First Nation leadership in Canada to produce the Kelowna Accord. Moreover, he emphasized the need to preserve First Nation languages and provide them the right to control their curriculum.
The second part of the education discussion focused on the need for enhanced funding to provide opportunities for Anishinabek citizens to continue their further education and training beyond Grade 12. Participants were especially concerned about the brain drain of their youth to the south and requested that education and training be provided to allow them to live closer to their families and communities.
Jodouin emphasized “that Anishinabek youth be provided with opportunities and access to higher education and committed to implementing the NDP Aboriginal platform.” She pointed out that she participated in the Urban Aboriginal Strategy Conference in North Bay and committed to providing more support for and emphasis on higher education and for training.
Peletier stated that skills training was important and emphasized the need to build local capacity. “The Ontario education system needs a complete overhaul. We need to keep our youth here. Our local high schools should be able to provide trade certificates, for example welding and that Nipissing University needs to develop a forestry centre and provide mining and engineering programs.” she said.
Rota stated that Canada’s best resources are our human resources. He pointed out that the Liberal platform commits to providing an extra $500 million towards enhancing the Post Secondary Student Education Program to permit more First Nation youth to continue their further education and training.
He stated that he was involved in the Victor mine First Nation training program and determined that “the issue of the glass ceiling for First Nation citizens need to be addressed prior to negotiations so that local residents would be able to run the program and the decision making process.”