When is a deal not a deal?
When it's the federal government screwing First Nations again, this time over funding for a school at the Attawapiskat First Nation near James Bay.
In an interview with the Timmins Daily Press, Susan Bertrand, a spokesperson
for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada emphasized that talks planned with the Attawapiskat council are not negotiations and that a school for Attawapiskat is still "not on our five-year plan."It's important to note that treaties with First Nations specifically included education. The Government of Canada is reneging on a legal contract by not providing educational facilities to the Attawapiskat First Nation and other communities like it. Schools are not optional extras, they're legal obligations that the Government of Canada or the British Crown committed to in exchange for land. That's exactly the same as a store taking your money and then not giving you the goods that you paid for - but on an enormous scale. So why do we tolerate it?
High school graduation rates for First Nations students are dropping, while First Nations are experiencing rapid population growth. As AFN National Chief Fontaine observes in the video below, these children are Canada's future. They deserve a decent education as a matter of justice and fairness. But we also need to provide First Nations children with good educational opportunities now, so that they are prepared to take a significant role in Canada's future development.
Learn more about the fight for a school in Attawapiskat here.
Hear AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine talk about the Attawapiskat situation and First Nations poverty in general:
From a speech to the Ontario Energy Association, January 24, 2008 - see the full speech at - Part 1 and Part 2.
Sign the "First Nations Children of Attawapiskat Fight for a School" petition to Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl at http://www.petitiononline.com/FNCA08/petition-sign.html.
For more on this issue, visit the Fighting for a School for Attawapiskat website.
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