To the editor:
I am writing about Liberal Aboriginal Affairs critic Carolyn Bennett’s letter, headlined Tories failing Aboriginal students, on page A9 of the Sept. 25 edition of the 100 Mile House Free Press.
Her letter began by claiming our [federal] government has “spent the summer talking about our forthcoming First Nations Education Act” and goes on to conclude it’s high time we closed the First Nations education gap.
Unfortunately, she forgot to mention this is what the First Nations Education Act intends to do.
Improving graduation rates for First Nations students is an objective the government shares with First Nations parents, educators and leaders. In Economic Action Plan (EAP) 2012, the government committed to working with First Nations to have in place by September 2014 a First Nations Education Act, based on recommendations from a national panel between the government and the Assembly of First Nations.
This legislation would establish the structures and standards necessary to ensure stronger, more accountable education systems on reserve.
The government also committed to exploring mechanisms to ensure stable, predictable and sustainable funding for First Nations elementary and secondary education.
To help ensure readiness for the new First Nations education system, EAP 2012 invested $100 million over three years for First Nations education to provide early literacy programming and other supports and services to First Nations schools and students, and to strengthen their relationships with provincial school systems.
To complement these investments in First Nations education programming, EAP 2012 also invested $175 million over three years to build and renovate schools on reserve, providing First Nations youth with better learning environments. This builds on investments in on-reserve school infrastructure made as part of our EAP between 2009 and 2011.
The government will continue to consult with First Nations across Canada on the development of legislation to close the education gap and is committing to sharing draft legislation with First Nations communities for their input.
Cathy McLeod, MP
Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo
