Thank you very much for the opportunity to address the standing committee. I bring regrets from our chancellor, Chief Shawn Atleo, who is unable to be with us today. We had hoped he could be, but it's not possible.
I'd also like to thank the Government of Canada for the knowledge infrastructure funds that we and other institutions across the country have received. As an example, one of the projects that we've invested in is a new facility that we're building on our Duncan campus. When you look at the issues we have in our brief, one of the keys is that 18% of the population at that particular campus is aboriginal; we are serving the Cowichan bands and various other communities on that part of the island.
Just so you have a bit of an understanding, Vancouver Island University is a new university. We are one of the institutions in British Columbia that was a university college, and in September last year we became a full university. Prior to that we had 73 years of history in the mid-island, and for 20 years we were giving out university degrees. So it's not new that we're granting university degrees, as we've been doing it for 20 years.
We take very, very serious responsibility for our role in mid-Vancouver Island in economic and social development within the communities we serve. So it's a very, very important part of what we do.
The issues we're addressing in our submission concern the changing economy. When we look at the resource-based economy on Vancouver Island and up and down the coast, there's been some critical change. We know the forest industry has changed dramatically. We know, indeed, that fishing and harvesting protein from the sea has changed dramatically. We know there are a variety of changes at hand that impact directly on both provincial and federal jurisdictions. As those resource-based industries change, they displace a lot of people. We're a regional institution that provides support for people in that transition. We are an open-access institution, and it's very important that we address the opportunities for people to come in and address that change in their lives.
We're also very strongly focused on capacity building in first nations communities. We have 51 first nations communities on Vancouver Island. We serve communities up and down the coast and provide support for them. We have the largest head count of aboriginal students of any university in British Columbia. Even though we're about one-eighth the size of UBC, our head count of first nations students is dramatically larger. It's because we provide an environment for them to excel and to be successful. It is a very important issue for us.
The third piece we're very involved in as a coastal institution is looking at ocean management, particularly as it relates to harvesting protein from the sea. Our real strength is in shellfish research, but we have a strong partnership with DFO and look at all of the challenges that exist in harvesting protein from the sea and how we, as a regional institution, can provide supports to help guide that dialogue in a way that moves it forward, rather than some of the challenges that I know exist with the political pitfalls that arise when dealing with provincial and federal jurisdictions. As a regional institution with a strong relationship with DFO, I think we have a part to play and a place to work.
So our recommendations are threefold. The first one is looking at first nations funding for post-secondary education. We know there's a real need there; we know there's a real challenge there. We think we can provide and develop the kinds of models that are going to be successful for first nations in building capacity in their communities, and that's done through small regional institutions that are close to home communities and provide the kind of cultural support that's necessary. This is a model that we can work with other institutions across the country. It's not just something that's going to focus on Vancouver Island.
We also recognize that regional universities, especially when located in resource-based communities where industries are changing, are a place of innovation. We are a place of change that can provide the kinds of supports that will help the economy and help us understand what the next economic drivers are going to be in those communities, especially at the regional and rural levels. We have a role to play.
The third one is the opportunity to engage with DFO in a way that allows us to look at and address this evolving issue on the coast of harvesting protein from the sea and the whole responsibility we have in ocean management as it relates to that. I think we have a role to play in having a dialogue and in providing direction and leadership.
Thank you very much.