Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon to each of you, and thank you for taking the time to come here to Ottawa, particularly on such short notice. I understand the urgency of this particular situation for each of you, and just as importantly of course for the students and faculty and all of those who are impacted by the federal government's decision not to fund the First Nations University of Canada.
I have to say that in my almost five years at the committee, this is some of the most powerful testimony I've heard and the most compelling arguments around a particular position. In this case, it's to keep the First Nations University of Canada open. Over the last number of weeks and months, we have heard a great many different stories reported through many different types of media, whether it's by radio or by newspaper or by television, about what is going on or not going on. It is refreshing to see that you are bringing to light exactly what is happening, because when we ask questions in the House of Commons--I have to be quite frank with you--to the minister on this particular issue, Minister Chuck Strahl, all we get is the negatives. We have never heard of its successes. We have never heard about the uniqueness. We have never heard about the positive changes that are taking place.
There have been many calls by ourselves, many of my colleagues in the House of Commons, to restore the funding, and of course our leader, Michael Ignatieff, has added his voice to that as well.
You have laid out every criticism that's been levelled against this institution. It seems to me that every criticism that's been levelled against this institution by the Conservative government has been answered, so where do we go? When I asked the minister last Thursday if there was any scenario that he could see where funding would continue, he did not answer the question, but continued to raise doubts about the progress that has been made, about changes that you have undertaken. And these are extraordinary changes, as many of you have said, with FSIN and the leadership of Chief Lonechild, and indeed I would say all of you at this particular table.
However, I think it is important as well for us to enunciate that you have made the fundamental change in governance, in administration, in management, that everybody who was a critic has asked for. You have done your part. Now it's up to the federal government to assure that this new model can succeed and, as many of you said, reward transparency and accountability, not penalize it.
There's also been a perception that, oh, when March 31 comes, April 1 comes, the students can just move from one institution to another, that life will go on as usual, that somehow faculty will all find jobs, that, somehow, this unique university will not survive.
I want to ask each of you--in a very short timeframe, I know--to tell us what impact this will have upon the students and the faculty and FSIN.