Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. I'll keep my comments to under five minutes.
First off, I welcome this opportunity to talk to you about the success of the First Nations University of Canada. One of the problems we've had is getting our story out there. Previous speakers have talked passionately about some of our successes, but I want to highlight again a number of those successes.
The decision of the federal and provincial governments to cut off funding to First Nations University on April 1, 2010, has direct impacts on: 2,000 students; 350 classes; over 200 employees, including the largest number of aboriginal Ph.D.s in Canada; 3,300 graduates; 70 research projects; and the largest concentration of indigenous programming in the world. Throughout its history, tens of thousands of students and business leaders have taken classes and courses at First Nations University of Canada.
The government's decision has more far-reaching impacts beyond these. It affects all Canadians and all of Saskatchewan's citizens.
In regard to our success, I would like to briefly highlight the impact of First Nations University's success, which is our alumni. As previous speakers mentioned this afternoon, this is a measure of our success. Our alumni includes doctors, nurses, health care providers, teachers, dental therapists, business leaders, engineers, scientists, social workers, and lawyers. We have produced hundreds of civil servants for the federal and provincial workforces and another thousand for first nations governments.
First Nations University is one of the most successful producers of first nations taxpayers in Saskatchewan. Our university draws students from across Canada, which contributes to the Saskatchewan economy and to our reputation in Canada and abroad.
Thousands of non-first nations students have completed our courses as requirements in academic programs, including justice, police studies, women's studies, education, and social work.
First Nations University provides the most unique program in the world. We offer bicultural education so that our students are completely qualified for work in the mainstream and have the additional training they need to serve in our communities.
I want to briefly touch on some of the budgetary shortfalls and jurisdictional issues we have faced since our inception.
The true measure of a great institution is not only its successes, but the obstacles and adversities it has overcome. Throughout our 34-year history, First Nations University has faced ongoing budgetary shortfalls due to federal and provincial jurisdictional disputes, and this in turn has created uncertainty and hardships. Each has a role to play: the province for its jurisdiction over universities, and the federal government for its responsibilities for Indians and lands reserved for Indians, and its treaty and aboriginal rights and constitutional obligations under section 35.
We take responsibility for some of the past actions that have happened. First Nations University has experienced internal governance and management issues. For this, we take full responsibility. However, we should not allow the decisions of a few to affect the success of many. The new interim board and leadership have addressed governance and management problems.
Based on the negative actions of a few, to shut down an institution that has had so many success stories and provides for the future of so many is unthinkable and irresponsible. It has taken many, many people to build this institution over a 34-year period and only a few to potentially destroy it. Governments have chosen to highlight the actions of these few and ignore the success of the majority.
We have a challenging future. As citizens of Saskatchewan and Canadian citizens, we are facing many challenges. One is our youth and the future of our great country. In Saskatchewan, we have over 60,000 aboriginal youth in the first nations and provincial K-to-12 system. As I sit here today, one out of every three students in Saskatchewan is aboriginal, and this number is continuously on the rise.
We are also facing a 50% dropout rate. Thirty thousand aboriginal youth will drop out in the next 10 years. Where will they go? Will they join the 2,000 street gang members that we now have in the province? Or is the answer jails? Over 80% of the people in our provincial jails are aboriginal people. That's not the answer.
We have close to 5,000 children currently in out-of-home care; 75% are aboriginal. We struggle to find aboriginal foster homes for these children. Within these marginalized and frustrated youth, we are sowing the seeds of homegrown problems. As a Canadian, this is a statistic I am not proud of and a future I do not relish.