Free to learn : Giving aboriginal youth control over their post-secondary education

The population increase for status and non-status Statistics Canada report predicts that Canada’s senior population (65 Indians in the decade between 1996 and 2006 was 26 percent, three and older) could be more than double the number of children under and a half times the eight percent increase for non-Aboriginals.26 the age of 15 by the same year.20 Canada needs workers, and it needs Whatever way [...] The goal of the Indian bands and First Nations organizations claim program, consistent with the goal of INAC’s education at all levels is a Treaty right recognized in Problems with the PSE program in general, is to get more Indian the Canadian Constitution. [...] For the Minister, explained to the Standing Committee on students, regional Inuit component of the program, the money goes Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, “Our from the federal government to the territorial interpretation is that there is nothing in the Act that variation, governments, which then fund individual Inuit requires a contribution at the post-secondary level, and favouritis [...] Bfunding away from chiefs and band councils and put it in Finally, there is no guarantee that such an organization would the hands of the federal government, would resolve many of the eliminate the problems related to transparency and accountability. [...] Moreover, the “lapsed” funds from the accounts of potentially include members of the Association of Universities Indians who choose not to pursue post-secondary education could and Colleges of Canada, the Association of Canadian Community be used to defray some of the transition costs.