Access to education is integral to breaking the cycle of poverty that plagues Canada's aboriginal communities. Aboriginal people make up over 15% of the population of Manitoba, yet the poverty rate is 29%. Manitoba's aboriginal children under six years of age experience a poverty rate at 56% compared to 19% of non-aboriginal children.
Despite the worsening situation of Canada's aboriginal people, support for first nations education, a federal responsibility and treaty right, has stagnated over the last several decades.
The Assembly of First Nations estimates that over 10,000 eligible status first nations students remain on waiting lists to access federal funding transferred to band councils for the post-secondary student support program. Manitoba is home to 15% of Canada's aboriginal population and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs estimates that 10% of first nations students on waiting lists live in Manitoba.
The sixth report of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development entitled “No Higher Priority: Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education in Canada”, outlined a set of recommendations for aboriginal post-secondary education in Canada. Central among them was eliminating the 2% funding cap on the post-secondary student support program, the federal government's mechanism for funding first nations and Inuit post-secondary education. This funding cap prohibits the allocation of adequate funding for prospective aboriginal students, and it does not meet the needs of the growing student demographic.
Research by the First Nations Education Council suggests that an increase to the post-secondary student support program of 149%, or $481 million, is needed to address the current funding deficit. Only 5% of aboriginal people have post-secondary degrees or diplomas, and the fact that the funding allocated through the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs fails to reach non-status aboriginal students, Métis, or first nations students living off reserve only slows down progress.
Additional federal support must be allocated towards the success of aboriginal students. The federal government should eliminate the 2% funding cap on the post-secondary student support program and ensure that the federal funding for this program rises with the rate of growth in the young aboriginal population, calculated region by region.
Thank you.