Legacy
Education
11. We call upon the federal government to provide adequate funding to end the backlog of First Nations students seeking a post-secondary education.
I had no idea there was such a backlog... I have always assumed that those seeking post-secondary education could do so. (That there, folks, is an example of how my privilege as a white person has shaped my view). This CBC article from 2016 states that a cap in federal support to Indigenous students seeking higher education (predictably) meant a decrease in Indigenous students in post-secondary institutions; the price to go to university, of course, continues to increase exponentially. So it's no surprise that these students are finding it nearly impossible to be able to attend.
To be honest I think post-secondary education should be much more easily accessible to all students, Indigenous or not - but it makes sense that a population as historically underrepresented and unsupported as First Nations folks would have the hardest time accessing such resources.
This Government of Canada page explains how First Nations students can apply for post-secondary funding, but even it concedes such support is limited. This article about the 2017 budget gives a bit of a breakdown of how money is being allocated in response to these Calls, including today's, but I haven't been able to find any information regarding the 2016 cap on funding and if that cap still stands (ie, if the amount of funding can or can not be increased year to year.)
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