As we look at the current recession and to the future, it is apparant that the economy in Canada is in peril unless some wisdom is adhered to. The status quo of the labour force and business world will no longer suffice.
Currently, one quarter of Manitoba’s youth under 20 is Aboriginal and projections predict that 1 in 3 new additions to the workforce over the next 10 years will be Aboriginal – even with the assumption of high immigration[1].
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards[2] calculated that the 2026 GDP would increase by 36.5 billion if Aboriginal Canadians achieved the same 2001 level of education and employment as non-Aboriginal Canadians.
Cumulatively, over the next 25 years, this would add a staggering $401 billion to the Canadian economy. Of that $179 billion would be a direct result of increased educational attainment. In addition, there would be a cumulative $77 billion in savings on social programs.
These impacts do not factor in the difficult to measure positive multi-generational impacts of increased socio-economic status on families.
Considering the economic advantage this represents (half a trillion dollars), it astounds me that very little is being done to address this. As we speak First Nations schools are receiving as little as half that of non-Aboriginal schools. As we speak First Nations daycares and family programs receive only a fracion of non-Aboriginal funding support. As we speak, INAC blocks every effort by First Nations schools to partner with provinces and offer vocational programs in secondary school.
I may be slightly pessimistic in saying this, but it seems to me our government is either ignorant beyond words or they are intentionally oppressing First Nations people. How else can we explain the illogical nature of the approach to the potenial mega benefit that can be realized with some sincere attention paid to the well-being of Aboriginal people?
There are so many statistics about lower graduation rates of Aboriginal people and we often wonder why. Nationally, the graduation rate is less than 40% for First Nations on-reserve (article). High school graduation is critical to gaining higher levels of income and breaking free of a dismal socio-economic status. The Government refuses to properly fund education for First Nations people so that the quality is too poor to be able to offer all of the extra amenities and educational offerings that make school fun and exciting.
The Government refuses to even pay for adequate infrastructure to house students and many communities do not even have a high school. What do they do? They are forced to send their teenage children to the city, without parental supervision, where they undergo culture shock, separation from family and friends in order to attend high school. All of this with the fact that due to under funding on-reserve, most kids enter high school several grade levels behind, being set-up for failure. This makes them excellent targets for gangs, sexual predators, drug pushers, etc.
How many non-Aboriginal sub-urban families would be comfortable sending their teenage children to a big city like Toronto - ALONE - for high school education? Yet this is what thousands upon thousands of First Nation families go through every year.
The Government knows about this and has for a long time, yet nothing is done to change it. Even after they have recently endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, they have repeatedly said nothing new will be done in their approach.
That`s a half trillion dollar statement!
Considering the economic advantage this represents (half a trillion dollars), it astounds me that very little is being done to address this. As we speak First Nations schools are receiving as little as half that of non-Aboriginal schools. As we speak First Nations daycares and family programs receive only a fracion of non-Aboriginal funding support. As we speak, INAC blocks every effort by First Nations schools to partner with provinces and offer vocational programs in secondary school.
I may be slightly pessimistic in saying this, but it seems to me our government is either ignorant beyond words or they are intentionally oppressing First Nations people. How else can we explain the illogical nature of the approach to the potenial mega benefit that can be realized with some sincere attention paid to the well-being of Aboriginal people?
There are so many statistics about lower graduation rates of Aboriginal people and we often wonder why. Nationally, the graduation rate is less than 40% for First Nations on-reserve (article). High school graduation is critical to gaining higher levels of income and breaking free of a dismal socio-economic status. The Government refuses to properly fund education for First Nations people so that the quality is too poor to be able to offer all of the extra amenities and educational offerings that make school fun and exciting.
The Government refuses to even pay for adequate infrastructure to house students and many communities do not even have a high school. What do they do? They are forced to send their teenage children to the city, without parental supervision, where they undergo culture shock, separation from family and friends in order to attend high school. All of this with the fact that due to under funding on-reserve, most kids enter high school several grade levels behind, being set-up for failure. This makes them excellent targets for gangs, sexual predators, drug pushers, etc.
How many non-Aboriginal sub-urban families would be comfortable sending their teenage children to a big city like Toronto - ALONE - for high school education? Yet this is what thousands upon thousands of First Nation families go through every year.
The Government knows about this and has for a long time, yet nothing is done to change it. Even after they have recently endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, they have repeatedly said nothing new will be done in their approach.
That`s a half trillion dollar statement!
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