Finance committee  Access to education is integral to breaking the cycle of poverty that plagues Canada's aboriginal communities. Aboriginal people make up over 15% of the population of Manitoba, yet the poverty rate is 29%. Manitoba's aboriginal children under six years of age experience a poverty rate at 56% compared to 19% of non-aboriginal children.

Finance committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair. We'd like to thank the Standing Committee on Finance for hearing our presentations today. The Canadian Federation of Students represents nearly half a million students across Canada, including over 42,000 students here in Manitoba. Today, due to limited time, we would like to touch on two key issues affecting students in Manitoba: the funding and access of aboriginal students.