Letter of support for the First Nations education awareness campaign.
Fill out the form at the end of the letter to support the FNEC in its endeavours.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper |
Mr. John Duncan Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 |
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Subject: The under-funding of education in the Quebec First Nations
Sirs,
I am writing to express my deep concern about the funding situation of the First Nations? schools in Quebec. I was astonished when I recently learned that the funding formula for these schools, which was developed in 1988 by the federal government and has not been revised since then, leaves out important costs in many areas, including integration of information technologies, the purchase of books for school libraries, extra-curricular activities, and the need to keep up with the many developments that have occurred in education in Quebec over the past several years. In addition, this funding formula has not been tied to the cost of living since 1996, despite the considerable and ever-growing needs of the First Nations in education.
The consequences are disastrous. The First Nations must decide what basic programs and essential services to cut so that they can fund other equally important programs and services. The schools are also unable to offer competitive salaries and working conditions, which in turn prevents them from providing their children with the same quality of education that all children have the right to receive. And these are just some of the consequences of the under-funding experienced by the First Nations? schools in Quebec.
I was also very surprised to learn that the federal government has never made any investments to develop second-level services similar to those offered by the provincial school boards for other schools throughout the country. And I am shocked at the insensitivity of the government in its refusal to support First Nations students by providing them with the option of studying at a post-secondary institution which would come under the responsibility of the First Nations.
By refusing to provide the First Nations with resources that will allow them access to a quality education, the Canadian government is purposely closing the door to their future. I wish therefore to indicate my entire support for the recent actions taken by the First Nations Education Council.
