(Jay Birds) comment on the INAC website - since they allow comments and feedback: The problem with this top down approach for the education act is still from the remnants of a bygone era where the Federal Govt treated Indigenous people as wards of the state and needed to protect them. In this vein, they decided what was best for those communities. That has to stop, This AANDC approach of controlling everything Indigenous is appalling for a 2013 Canadian environment in which Indigenous people only want equality; which they are having trouble finding. 1. CEPN Report on Education: cepn-fnec/PDF/accueil/Report%20on%20Priority%20Actions%20in%20View%20of%20Improving%20First%20Nations%20Education%20-%20November%202011_eng_website%20version_.pdf 2. AFN Report on Education Funding: afn.ca/uploads/files/education/fact_sheet_-_fn_education_funding_final.pdf Both of these reports point to the key point of the problem with Indigenous education - funding - or lack of it. In CEPNs report we see that Indigenous students are being seriously underfunded as compared with their Provincial counterparts, almost as if one were more important than the other. In AFNs report we find the same funding issue, underfunding for the Indigenous while the average Canadian, not Indigenous, gets treated fairly by the system. Seems to me funding is a HUGE problem and is promoting inequality in Canada. However, the key point of this inequality is the way this education act is being proposed. It almost seems as if Indigenous people, who are not consenting to this plan, will be swept under the rug for those they can manufacture consent from; just like what happened with Bill C45 in the house. Unless AANDC is not involved in the process of Indigenous Education restructuring, it is clear there restructuring will happen at the Indigenous expense. How can I say that? AANDC has existed over Indigenous control for some 100+ years now and we are having this discussion in 2013. That in and of itself should prove AANDC is fairly useless in representing and solving Indigenous issues in Education...and yet they persist to have the answer(s).
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 02:40:13 +0000