‘The current system is failing these kids,’ Canada’s aboriginal affairs minister says
Federal Aboriginal Affairs minister Bernard Valcourt states that reform of First Nation Eduction System is required before any funding changes are to be put in place. Shawn Atleo, the national chief for the Assembly of First Nations, states that “fair and sustainable” funding needs to be part of any reforms. Also, these need to include “support and respect for our languages and our cultures”.
An interesting development is Valcourt said he spoke with James Anaya, a UN special envoy on the rights of indigenous peoples. Anaya is now on a nine-day visit to gauge the progress Canada has made since 2004 on indigenous rights issues, when his predecessor made the last trip here.
Although Valcourt touts the proposed Education reforms he states, “The aim of this [visit] is to ensure that we have a system which we don’t have right now,” the minister said.
This news story is a great wrap up to all of the posts I’ve made in this module.
Cheers