Evidence of meeting #20 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
No.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
That's the particular problem. It's fine to say they're in their criteria, but if there's no mechanism for them to apply for ISSP funding, what's the point? So is there no statutory limitation to their applying; it's a matter of process?
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
No, it's not restricted in the terms of the terms and conditions of the program. They are not excluded.
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
There has been no allocation.
Acting Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Socio-Economic Policy and Regional Operations, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
In terms of Bill C-48, it's our understanding that there's a $1 billion, one-time, post-secondary education infrastructure trust fund to provide supplementary funding to the provinces and territories. I'm not an expert in this regard, and we could find more information for you on that program, if you would like, but this money is to go to the provinces and territories. It's not going specifically to aboriginal organizations.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
I think that's the point. There was no consideration in the allocation for aboriginal organizations. It was a blanket turnover to the provinces and territories, with no requirement for consideration of aboriginal organizations.
I know it's a political decision, but I just want to be clear that the department didn't receive any instruction around putting forward something around part of that allocation going to aboriginal institutions.
Acting Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Socio-Economic Policy and Regional Operations, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Am I out of time?
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
I hope you're all having a good day.
I want to ask you a few questions in relation to the parcel of funding, within the $1.5 billion of education funding, that the department allocates specifically for post-secondary. I think you quote roughly $300 million. In terms of that dollar amount, what's the method by which it is delivered to the students? How is it distributed?
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The Indian first funding does not go directly to students. It goes to first nations and Inuit administering organizations. So it's distributed across the country to Indian Affairs regional offices, which then distribute to the administering organizations.
There are a variety of formulas used in different regions. That kind of distribution to the first nations and Inuit administering organizations would typically happen through a discussion between the regional office and first nation organizations. So typically there's first nations input into that kind of allocation.
Generally there's a population basis for how the money comes to be distributed. Different regions use different kinds of calculations. Some might use an age-specific population basis; others might use a general Indian-register population basis. There's always a connection to some kind of population basis when they determine how the funding will be allocated to first nations and Inuit organizations.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
So it would leave Ottawa, go to a regional office, and then end up in the hands of, I think you said, another administrative organization.
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
A first nation, usually, yes.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
So it would go directly, in theory, to a first nation. For instance, in Manitoba we have about 66 first nations. At the regional office, it would be broken down based on a formula that is specific to that regional office.
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes.
Conservative
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes.
Conservative
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
A population basis.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
On a population basis, okay.
From there, would it be specified as being only for post-secondary funding?
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The funding instruments with first nations don't operate that way. The current terms and conditions of the program don't require that. If the first nation finds that they have a certain demand and in fact have more post-secondary funding available than there is demand for, the first nation has the capacity to transfer that amount of money into other of its priorities.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
For instance, they have perhaps a secondary school that needs to be built or perhaps they need to fund some infrastructure in the community.
Executive Coordinator of Post-secondary Education, Education Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
They could certainly put it into school operations, elementary or secondary school operations, yes.
