Wabaseemoong First Nation, Ontario
October 11, 2011
Check against delivery
Elders, Chief Eric Fisher, community members, students, thank you for the warm welcome.
On behalf of the Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, I am very pleased to be with all of you today for the opening of your new Mizhakiiwetung Memorial School.
I want to begin by congratulating the Wabaseemoong First Nation for all the dedication, perseverance, and hard work that have gone into making this project a reality. There are many different factors that contribute to a quality education – and one of the most fundamental is a supportive community, as you have here, that recognizes the central role that education plays in securing the success of individuals as well as communities.
The new Mizhakiiwetung Memorial School will provide the children of your community with a safe, culturally enriching environment in which to learn and grow. Up to 460 students from kindergarten to grade 12 will be accommodated in this impressive 16 classroom facility. The site includes a hockey rink, a baseball diamond, a multi-purpose field and track and a separate fenced area for kindergarten students, which includes play equipment.
With this new school, the young students of Wabaseemoong First Nation will have the best possible learning environment to help them succeed in their studies, and start building a solid foundation for the future.
Our Government is proud to have invested $25 million for this project under Canada's Economic Action Plan. It is through investments like this one that our Government is supporting a variety of projects that create jobs and provide lasting, sustainable benefits for First Nations.
In the last two years, the Government of Canada has provided over $173 million across the country to build new and renovate existing First Nation schools under Canada's Economic Action Plan. This is in addition to the Government of Canada's annual investments of approximately $200 million to support school infrastructure projects and the operation and maintenance of existing facilities in First Nation communities.
We are committed to ensuring that First Nations can play a significant role in Canada's economic growth. That is why our Government is putting special emphasis on improving education in partnership with First Nations and the provinces. Schools represent an investment in the community's youth, a source of jobs and resources for communities.
Together, we can build the infrastructure that will allow First Nation communities and the economy to thrive now and in the future. The Mizhakiiwetung Memorial School is an important step along the way.
Congratulations to you on your new school and I wish all the students the very best academic success.
Thank you.
