Assembly of First Nations: Resolution no. 48/2018 First Nations Post-Secondary Education Policy Proposal. Dec. 4-6, 2018
- Reaffirm First Nations inherent and Treaty Rights to post-secondary education (PSE).
- Reaffirm that jurisdiction over First Nations education remains with each First Nation.
- Affirm that the process concerning the First Nations PSE policy proposal is not intended to detract or hinder First Nations from advancing their PSE processes.
- Support the recommended First Nations PSE policy proposal, as represented in Policy Proposal (v8) to be presented to Cabinet as the First Nations submission through Indigenous Services Canada’s Memorandum to Cabinet. The policy proposal outlines the following:
- Calls on the federal government to provide immediate investments to address the backlog of First Nations PSE students, support First Nations established institutes, and provide transitional funding for upgrading and completion in order to pursue PSE.
- Seeks long-sought after changes to current PSE programs, Post-Secondary Student Support Programs (PSSSP).
- Restructuring of Post-Secondary Partnership Program (PSPP) to align with the changes expressed in the policy proposal.
On June 18, 2019, the AFN was informed that the First Nations Post-Secondary Policy Proposal was approved by the federal cabinet. it confirmed support for First Nations-led Treaty-based and/or regional based processes to develop models that will best support First Nations PSE. In addition to significant changes in First Nations PSE models, further amendments to programs and policies include:
Residency Clause: Eligible recipients for PSE funding were previously subject to restrictions that included mandatory Canadian residency. New changes amend and broaden eligible recipients to Band Councils, organizations designated by Band Councils, and self-governing First Nations in the Yukon.
Post-Secondary Partnerships Program: Eligible recipients previously included mainstream institutions that were receiving First Nations funding. New changes amend eligible recipients exclusively to include Band Councils, organizations designated by Band Councils, community based regional bodies and the First Nations University of Canada.
Eligible Expenditures:
The previous conditions contained overly prescriptive language around eligible expenditures in all First Nations PSE programs. New changes amend the prescriptive language and broaden expenditures to allow more flexibility for what each First Nation considers an appropriate expenditure. While the AFN continues to advocate for Post-Secondary Education to be funded as a Treaty and inherent right, based on the needs of all First Nations post-secondary students, amendments to policies and programs that support First Nations Control of First Nations Education are a welcome change.
Budget 2019 Investments
Budget 2019 allocated $327 million dollars over five years to First Nations for the Post-Secondary Student Support Program. The program aims to improve the socio-economic outcomes for First Nations by providing eligible students with funding to access education opportunities at the post-secondary level, consistent with the principle of First Nations control of First Nations education. This falls far short of the $1.7 billion required to close the gap in post-secondary education.