Gatineau, September 12, 2008 – 300 parents, children and Chiefs from the First Nations
communities in Quebec are going to the office Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to
denounce the dramatic situation caused by the chronic under-funding of First Nations education.
They want funding for First Nations education to become a priority of the federal elections. (...) read the press release
You can click on these links to view a few articles on the subject (In French only, sorry)
The fifth edition of the Summer School of the Institut du Nouveau Monde was held this past August 12-16 at Université Laval and Espace 400e. Its activities were based on commemorating the 400 years of the Francophone presence in North America and the historical links between Quebeckers and Aboriginal people. A special activities block was developed for the First Nations, entitled “Dialogue between Quebec and the First Nations and Inuit.”
Each day, more than 40 young participants attended morning workshops and talks. The speakers included AFNQL Regional Chief Ghislain Picard. In the afternoons, they took part in study groups to discuss issues of common concern to them. At the end of their reflections, they presented their recommendations at the citizens’ assembly, which took place on August 16. The goal of the activities for this 5th edition was to strengthen the participants’ social engagement by way of a program combining educational, deliberative, recreational and artistic components.
Through its sponsorship program, the FNEC funded the participation of seven youths from the communities of Lac Simon and Kitcisakik. They appreciated their experience very much and left with new ideas concerning the future of the First Nations.
Due to the success of this activity, the FNEC intends to repeat its partnership next year.
The First Nations of Quebec remember:
10 000 years of existence
400 years of colonialism International Day of the World’s Indigenous People last update: 2008/08/05
The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) celebrated International Indigenous Peoples’ Day on August 9, 2008 at Place D’Youville in Quebec City. From noon until 3 p.m., various activities were held to commemorate the turning points in the history of the Aboriginal Peoples in Quebec during the past four centuries.
AFNQL Regional Chief Ghislain Picard, historians Camil Girard and Denis Delâge, and Amnesty International, as well as various Aboriginal artists, were on hand to mark the event!
Workshops were also held for the children and several musical performances provided the entertainment.
JEAN CHAREST CONFIRMS THE UNDER-FUNDING OF
FIRST NATIONS EDUCATION
Press release
The First Nations Education Council (FNEC) is pleased to learn that Quebec Premier Jean Charest has publicly confirmed that the funding for First Nations education is insufficient. Premier Charest, who chaired the annual meeting of the Council of the Federation last week in Quebec City, has said that the funding of education in the Aboriginal communities should be among the priorities for discussion at a future meeting with the federal governement. He added that in Canada, twice as much spending goes towards the education of children in non-Aboriginal communities than to the education of children in the First Nations.
Mr. Charest is the second premier, after Ontario’s Dalton McGuinty, to acknowledge the justness of the First Nations’ claims for adequate funding of their education. In this regard, numerous reports and studies have gone unanswered by the federal government.
“If the provinces are confirming what we have been repeating for several years, perhaps the federal government will finally revise the funding for First Nations education,” noted FNEC Director Lise Bastien. The funding gap has only widened over the years, and for numerous reasons. The First Nations’ schools are funded according to an inadequate formula which dates back 20 years and has not been indexed since 1996. The formula also does not take account of new educational developments in different areas, including among others, technology, sports and recreation, and the funding of educational professionals, etc.
Mr. Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL), says he hopes that the other Premiers, along with the Ministers of Education, will join with Premiers Charest and McGuinty in denouncing this chronic under-funding of First Nations education. He added that the federal government is aware of and denies its responsibility towards First Nations education.
The FNEC note’s that the vast awareness campaign it has been running for more than a year to gain recognition of the under-funding of First Nations education finally appears to be getting the desired results!
The FNEC is an organization that has been representing 22 communities in Quebec for more than 20 years. Its primary mission is to promote the interests of First Nations communities in order to improve the educational services offered to all First Nations students.
Federal government apology to First Nation Residential School Survivors last update: 2008/06/11
Please be advised that the Statement of Apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools will be broadcasted live from the House of Commons on Wednesday, June 11 at 2 p.m. EST.
It will be available on CPAC in real time and on their website (www.cpac.ca).
To find your local CPAC channel, simply do a search on your local cable service or contact your local cable service provider.
(On Satellite; ExpressVu 512 in English and 149 in French, Star Choice 396)
Immediately following the apology, you can view the remarks from Ghislain Picard on-line at the FNEC website, www.cepn-fnec.com by simply clicking on the video link below. You can also view this message by searching for APNQL on the www.youtube.com website.
Please note that Flash Player software must be installed on the computer in order to view this video. A link to download this software will be available on the FNEC site.
First Nations of Quebec open house last update: 2008/06/2
The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) and its regional commissions will be organizing a First Nations of Quebec open house on June 20, 2008, in Québec City.The objective of the second edition of First Nations of Quebec Open House, which is an interactive and friendly event, is to highlight the AFNQL’s willingness to establish relationships with the society, private companies as well as Quebec First Nation communities’ surrounding neighbourhoods.
While listening to the guest speakers, the invited guests will learn more on First Nations’ challenges, their future opportunities and the reality of the Indian Act. They will also virtually visit two communities.
For more information, please contact the AFNQL secretariat at 418-842-5020.
Contest Roving Photographer: Show people the truth! last update: 2008/05/07
First Nations communities are faced with a great many problems. Living and housing conditions are among the most pressing. In fact, our conditions are often compared to those found in the Third World.
A few examples: 25% of First Nations children are raised in poverty (compared to just 16% of the rest of the Canadian population), and overall First Nations members are three times as likely as other Canadians to live in poverty. In addition, over half of First Nations members are currently unemployed.
As regards First Nations housing, one unit in six is overpopulated. Around 50 % of these units are prone to mould, which represents a serious health risk. Finally, more than 100 First Nations communities are obliged to boil their water before they drink it.
These living and housing conditions undoubtedly have a negative effect on young people’s ability to learn. Astonishingly, no fewer than 70 % of young people in First Nations will fail to graduate high school.
To denounce this situation and improve life and housing conditions in First Nations communities, the CEPN and the APNQL held a competition of photography in their member communities. This competition allowed three young amateur photographers to participate in a large-scale project; to make their passion known and the hard reality of life in their community. The three winners are from Kitcisakik:
The AFNQL mission at the UN last update: 2008/04/25
An important Quebec First Nations delegation is taking part in the seventh Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, in New York from April 21 to May 1, 2008, with the intention of denouncing the colonialist attitude of the Canadian government.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last update: 2007/09/24
The General Assembly,
Taking note of the recommendation of the Human Rights Council contained in
its resolution 1/2 of 29 June 2006, by which the Council adopted the text of the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,
Recalling its resolution 61/178 of 20 December 2006, by which it decided to
defer consideration of and action on the Declaration to allow time for further
consultations thereon, and also decided to conclude its consideration before the end
of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly,
Adopts the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as
contained in the annex to the present resolution.
... Read the Declaration »»
First Nations Education Council 95, rue de l'Ours, Wendake, (Québec) G0A 4V0
Tel.: (418) 842-7672 Fax: (418) 842-9988
E-mail: info@cepn-fnec.com
Courtesi of Michel Bourget
