OTTAWA, ONTARIO (August 14, 2013) – The Honourable Bernard Valcourt, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, provided an update today on the proposed First Nation Education Act:
On July 12th, 2013, the Government sent A Blueprint for Legislation to more than 600 Chiefs and Band Councils across the country asking them to share it with members of their community for input and provide Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development (AANDC) with their feedback.
The Blueprint is an annotated outline of the proposed First Nation Education Act that was developed at the Minister's request in response to suggestions from a number of First Nation leaders and community members. It identifies the proposed structure of the legislation, and is directly informed by feedback from cross-country consultations that have taken place to date.
The Blueprint demonstrates the Harper Government's commitment to developing legislation that supports First Nations control of First Nation education and to exploring mechanisms to ensure stable, predictable and sustainable funding for First Nation elementary and secondary education.
Since my appointment as Minister I have travelled to every region of the country, including remote communities, to meet with and listen to First Nation community members, leaders, and youth. It has been acknowledged in those discussions that improving the quality of First Nation education on reserve is a priority we all share,
said Minister Valcourt. That is why it is so important that First Nation leaders, parents, educators and others provide feedback on the Blueprint. Their input will help to inform the legislation and will ultimately have an impact on the quality of education students on reserve receive.
Consultations on the proposed Act commenced in Halifax on January 22nd, 2013. Since then, Department officials and the Minister met with hundreds of community members through regional face-to-face consultation sessions, meetings, and video and teleconferences. In addition, the Department has received hundreds of completed responses to an online survey, e-mail submissions, letters from First Nations and other stakeholders, and Band Council resolutions.
Many themes emerged from the consultations such as treaty rights, parental involvement in education, language and culture, transition to legislation, funding and First Nation control over education. The Government will continue to work with the feedback provided, and with First Nations, to identify ways of addressing these and other issues raised in the proposed legislation and through the implementation process.
Interested parties and individuals can continue to provide input on the Blueprint as soon as possible by sending an e-mail, writing a letter or going to the AANDC website and sharing comments online. They can also review the progress to date and read the Discussion Guide that was used during the previous phase of consultations.
The Government remains committed to introduce and implement a First Nation Education Act for by September 2014.
Comments received in the coming months will inform the proposed First Nation education legislation that will be introduced in Parliament. A draft bill will be shared this fall with First Nation leadership, parents, educators and others for their feedback. Once introduced into Parliament, the Parliamentary process will offer First Nations, other stakeholders and citizens additional opportunities to provide input on the legislation.
Earlier this year, the Government marked the fifth anniversary of the Government of Canada's historic apology for the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools policy, and this October marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation.
Such occasions are important opportunities to reflect on the progress that has been made, and the work that still needs to be done, to close the gaps between First Nations and other Canadians when it comes to health, poverty, employment levels, educational attainment, and other indicators of social well-being,
said Minister Valcourt.
