Creating Equal Opportunities
“We call upon the federal government to develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians”
-TRC, 2015 Final Report
We call upon the federal government to eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for First Nations children being educated on reserves and those First Nations children being educated off reserves.
TRC, 2015 Final Report
We call upon the federal government to prepare and publish annual reports comparing funding for the education of First Nations children on and off reserves, as well as educational and income attainments of Aboriginal peoples in Canada compared with non-Aboriginal people.
TRC, 2015 Final Report
These are Calls to Action in the Education Category, and the 7th, 8th, and 9th Calls to Action listed out of all 94. As of August 2020, there are projects underway or proposed to meet these Calls to Action.
Educational Gaps
Education is a fundamental right for every child. In each of the Treaties signed by the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples, education was a negotiated right. Each treaty has a statement about education, promising Education for Indigenous students. Some treaties specifically promise schools on each reserve.
However, in Canada, Indigenous education is significantly underfunded, especially when it comes to schooling on reserves. The problem is that First Nations schools are funded by the federal government, while other schools are funded by the provincial governments. It is estimated that schools on reserves receive at least 30% less funding than other schools.
First Nations schools get far less money-per student than other schools. That means Indigenous children are receiving far less funding for their education if they choose to live with their families on their cultural reserve land. This makes it harder for these schools to provide the same quality of schooling. It also makes it hard for them to provide additional support to students who need to leave their reserve to attend high school in a city. Schools on reserves already have increased expenses due to their remote location and small size, and having less funding creates an even larger gap. For students with disabilities going to First Nations schools, this is an even larger issues, as their schools often cannot afford to provide them the adequate resources and supports they need
Employment Gaps
The employment gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are related to the educational gaps. Less funding for Indigenous schools means less supports and resources available. Having less supports and resources available undoubtedly leads to a lower quality of education, which can affect job prospects as well. Post-secondary education is an issue as well. There are significantly less Indigenous peoples who obtain a Bachelors degree than the rest of Canadians, which can be due to inadequate funding for schools, and the lack of employment opportunities–making it harder to afford tuition.
The legacy of colonialism has disproportionately affected Indigenous peoples. They are left carrying inter-generational trauma and they still face discrimination and prejudice. As well, they have less opportunities available to them due to funding gaps. You can read an article about the gaps that Indigenous people face compared to the rest of Canada here.
Progress
According to the Government of Canada’s website, the Canadian federal government has committed to implementing the TRC’s Calls to Action by: developing strategies to eliminate education and employment gaps and prepare/publish annual reports on this issue.
In the 2018 federal budget, the Canadian federal government committed to create a new Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program. They committed to spending $2 billion over five years. According to the government of Canada’s website, this program “provides funding to Indigenous service delivery organizations that design and deliver job training services to [Indigenous people] in their communities”. This program was created with the help of Indigenous leaders and works to create a plan that works for each individual participant. So, technically, this is starting to meet this specific Call to Action.
In the 2016 federal budget, the Canadian federal government committed to spending $2.6 billion more dollars over five years for elementary and high school education on reserves, however much of this funding has not been spent. It is now said that the $801 million dollars they did not follow through with will come in the 2020-2021 school year.
As for annual reports on education funding and income attainments, there has been little progress. There have been some versions of these reports published, but they are not annual or complete. In 2016, the Canadian government reported that there was a gap of about $665 million between funding for on-reserve schools and other schools. Beyond this, censuses have been planned (the next one is scheduled for October); however, there are no plans to create a separate, annual report to meet this Call to Action.
Although it is a start, there is still far more to be done. Indigenous reserves are still far underfunded. Many still do not have access to clean drinking water and necessary resources. This is undoubtedly a hindrance on the quality of life and education for people living on the reserve that needs to be fixed with federal funding. As well, Indigenous students still receive far less funding than other students, and the educational and employment gaps still exist.
What Can You Do?
On an individual level, there is not much one can do. To meet this Call to Action, the federal government needs to provide more funding and resources for Indigenous peoples. They also need to commit to providing an annual report on funding gaps and income attainments.
However, these Calls to Action also require acknowledging the massive gaps that Indigenous peoples face. When we educate ourselves and the people around us, we can become advocates for these issues and push the federal government to do better.