Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
I would like to thank the committee for the invitation to appear today. I would also like to acknowledge that we are gathered on traditional Algonquin territory this morning.
As budget 2016 rightly noted, indigenous people generally do not enjoy the same quality of life as non-indigenous people in Canada. Poverty is a barrier that is preventing indigenous people from reaching their full potential and from fully participating in Canadian society. The well-being of indigenous communities is suffering as a consequence.
The department has done work in various areas to address long-standing issues related to poverty in indigenous communities, including education, training, employment, as well as financial assistance and other social supports. These and many other issues that indigenous people and communities are facing contribute to maintaining the high poverty levels and creating an obstacle to prosperity and the socio-economic well-being.
The department recognizes that these challenges are long-standing issues and, therefore, developing a solution will also take time. As we work horizontally with our federal partners and in collaboration with indigenous peoples and communities, we will take meaningful steps towards ensuring better outcomes for children, for families, and for generations to come. However, much remains to be done.
The department is making progress in a number of areas. Education greatly impacts individual, family, and community wellness. For example, a solid basis in literacy increases an individual's likelihood of success in many areas of life. These can range from basic literacy skills required to read to children, to transferring traditional knowledge within a family, and to participating in professional, cultural, and social activities.
In addition to the lifelong benefits associated with strong literacy skills, investments in this field can contribute to reducing poverty levels on reserve, increased workforce participation, and strong economies. Although progress has been made in recent years, there is still a critical need to improve outcomes through a collaborative approach to ensuring that first nations children have access to a quality education while respecting the principle that first nations control first nations education.
We are committed to working in partnership with the First Nations to support these objectives. Budget 2016 makes significant investments in primary and secondary education on reserves, totalling more than $2.6 billion over five years. The department is also working with other federal partners to support school readiness, notably by developing an early learning and child care framework for first nations.
In addition to general literacy skills, numeracy and mathematics are fundamental aspects of overall literacy and are the building blocks of financial literacy throughout life. Our education programs directly support learning and applying these skills in a school-based setting.
However, we recognize that funding alone is not enough. Improving educational outcomes and increasing the well-being of students on reserve require the involvement of all of the partners in delivering culturally appropriate education. Given this, the department is beginning a national engagement with indigenous organizations, communities, and other stakeholders on the way forward in first nations education.
We are also taking steps to ensure that indigenous people have a growing number of opportunities to continue their education after high school, given that too many people face significant barriers to pursuing post-secondary education. To that end, we are working with the students, families and indigenous organizations, as well as with post-secondary institutions to improve access to education and eliminate these barriers.
Through the post-secondary student support program and university and college entrance preparation program, INAC is currently investing over $300 million annually to support approximately 22,000 first nation and Inuit students in their pursuit of post-secondary education. These programs are designed to meet the unique needs of indigenous students and their communities, helping to offset the costs of tuition, travel, and other wraparound services in order to ensure their long-term success.
Early employment and skills training can also have considerable effects that counter the employment barriers experienced by many first nation and Inuit youth. Therefore, the first nation and Inuit youth employment strategy supports youth in getting the skills they need to enter the labour market. This program enables first nation and Inuit youth to gain experience through hands-on opportunities like co-operative and mentored work placements. These opportunities have proven to be very beneficial for indigenous youth in elementary and high school, and emerging research suggests that mentorship helps support learning and increases academic success.
Through financial assistance programs, the department is working to further support the well-being of children and families. For instance, the department's initiative to reform the on-reserve income assistance program provides direct financial support to low-income individuals and families living on reserves. In order to reduce poverty, the program provides funding for counselling, education and life skills activities to increase employability and labour market participation.
As of March 31, 2016, more than 7,900 on-reserve youth received pre-employment support or skills training through this initiative, and over 4,700 young people left for full-time education or employment opportunities. We continue to work with Employment and Social Development Canada in the context of the government's poverty reduction agenda and the aboriginal skills and employment training strategy to improve employment opportunities for indigenous people.
Poverty can be a contributing factor to a range of social issues, including the safety of children and violence against women. INAC's family violence prevention program supports the day-to-day operations of 41 shelters across the country as well as funding for community-driven proposals for family violence prevention projects on and off reserve. Budget 2016 committed $33.6 million over five years and $8.3 million in ongoing additional funding to increase supports to victims of family violence in first nation communities.
In budget 2016, Canada also invested $635 million over five years for the first nations child and family services program. This program supports culturally appropriate prevention and protection services that help ensure the safety and well-being of first nation children and families on reserve. Ensuring that children have healthy and safe childhoods leads to better social outcomes in adulthood. Further, healthy communities have better rates of employment and a lower incidence of poverty. To support both the immediate needs of first nation children and to begin a process of reform to strengthen the first nations child and family services program, program reforms will be developed in partnership with first nation stakeholders.
Finally, the department has been taking action to improve the wellness of indigenous people by addressing the socio-economic challenges they face. We are committed to continuing to collaborate with indigenous leadership on concrete solutions to improve socio-economic outcomes.
Thank you very much. I look forward to hearing the outcomes of this committee's work.