Thank you for the invitation to speak with you today.
I want to acknowledge the chief of our first nations chiefs, Chief Lonechild.
I speak to you today as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina, and my words convey a shared vision passed on from my predecessors, the past presidents of the University of Regina. It's a shared vision of First Nations University of Canada as an institution founded to enhance the quality of life of, and to preserve, protect, and interpret the history, language, culture, and artistic heritage of, first nations people. Thirty-four years after its initial creation as the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, First Nations University of Canada continues to fulfill this vision.
First Nations University of Canada is one of three federated colleges of the University of Regina. The University of Regina approves all First Nations University courses and provides quality assurance on all programs. First Nations University students graduate with a University of Regina degree. This is an innovative approach to the post-secondary education of aboriginal and non-aboriginal students, and it works. This unique educational model has been and remains very successful.
First Nations University enrollment has grown over the years; it stabilized this past year. In total, 40% of Saskatchewan's aboriginal university students take courses through First Nations University, as well as more than 1,000 University of Regina students, many of them non-aboriginal and many of them from far beyond Saskatchewan. They broaden their knowledge of aboriginal culture by taking courses at First Nations University each year. For many, these courses are required for their degree completion at the University of Regina.
First Nations University is not a segregated institution, but rather a unique Canadian institution that specializes in indigenous knowledge, something that is most definitely needed in Canada.
Today First Nations University offers 18 undergrad degree programs and more than 10 certificate diploma programs. It is the unique centre of indigenous knowledge in Canada. It has more than 3,000 alumni, aboriginal and non-aboriginal graduates alike, who contribute to our province and our country. The alumni are all around us, alumni such as Joely Big Eagle, a civil engineer, as mentioned before, and a First Nations University of Canada graduate, who is committed to making a difference as the interim chair of First Nations University's new board of governors.
First Nations University has recently experienced challenges, but they have been addressed. The University of Regina is committed to a new working relationship with our federated college, First Nations University, one that provides management oversight of all operations.
I could provide for you a detailed and painful list of the effects that the federal government's six-week notice of the withdrawal of funding will have on students, faculty, and staff of First Nations University of Canada, but I will not; I will share with you one story.
In Saskatoon I met a faculty member from First Nations University, a Cree woman my age. She's very close to completing her Ph.D. She's the sole provider for her grandchildren. This pulling of funding will mean she will not be able to afford to complete her degree and will likely lose her home. She's terribly afraid, because she knows the impact this decision will have on her grandchildren.
There are many more such stories.
Without federal government support for First Nations University, any gains made over the past 34 years will be lost, and lost forever. Fewer aboriginal learners will realize the benefits of post-secondary education, and Canada will be a less inclusive society as a result. That is not what I want for aboriginal and non-aboriginal students alike, and it's not what I want for my or your children and grandchildren.
Thank you.