Hello.
I am the interim adviser to the president of NWAC and I just want the honourable committee to know how honoured I am to be here.
Education is an important issue for the president of NWAC. Closing the gap in education is a top priority for NWAC.
Unfortunately, the legacy of residential schools continues to impact our youth. Madam Chair, that is why all services, educational or otherwise, must be trauma informed.
NWAC believes that indigenous women, girls, transgender and gender-diverse peoples need to be provided the opportunity to control their education. To do so, investments need to be made to improve facilities and services, while also recognizing the authority of indigenous people in determining their education.
Indigenous peoples are self-determining. Canada is in the process of implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; let us remember that article 14.1 of the declaration states:
Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.
Indigenous education is built on the values and practices informed by indigenous cultures, languages and histories. Passing down indigenous ways of being provides supports and resources to indigenous youth to reach their full potential.
In addition, Madam Chair, we cannot discuss educational rates without discussing indigenous language revitalization. Indigenous languages contain our world views, our cultures and our identities, which oftentimes are intersecting. NWAC believes indigenous language fluency creates strong cultural connections, connections that are tied to greater self-esteem, improved health and better academic outcomes.
NWAC has its own action plan in implementing the 231 calls for justice of the final report on the inquiry into missing and murdered women and girls, or MMIWG. A part of this work will help uplift an educational initiative of the national inquiry. That initiative is called “Their Voices Will Guide Us”. It's a resource for educators at all levels to use to introduce the value of indigenous women's and girls' lives into the classroom and into the minds and hearts of young people. It will prepare educators to use a decolonizing and trauma-informed approach in their teaching.
In Canada, education is provided by provincial and territorial governments, but for first nations kids on reserve, education is paid for by the federal government. Despite the federal government funding these programs, first nations communities are given less money for schools.
Structural barriers to accessing education, such as costs, have an immense impact on indigenous girls. It has been found that indigenous girls are more likely to attend underfunded schools that lack the basic resources, leading many to leave their communities to receive an education. These barriers create greater risks of poverty, poor health and unemployment in the future. Additionally, Madam Chair, indigenous women also cited personal reasons, such as pregnancy and access to child care, as reasons for dropping out of school. Wraparound services are essential in this conversation, Madam Chair.
Northern indigenous students often have to travel significant distances from their homes, families and lands to access education. Indigenous youth who travel south for education often experience the ongoing mental, emotional and financial stress associated with being away from home.
In sum, NWAC's research on indigenous education has found that the most substantial barriers to education are costs, structural constraints, geography and a sense of pride and connection to their culture.
NWAC values indigenous youth as the leaders of tomorrow, with unique voices that must be heard and empowered when leading change.
I would like to thank the committee now for undertaking a study to examine the existing funding and governance structure of the education system. It's greatly appreciated. I'm honoured to be here.
Thank you.