April 5, 2010
Honorable Chuck Strahl, M.P.
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Dear Minister Strahl,
I am writing on behalf of over 6,000 graduate students at York University to express concern over the lack of funding available to Aboriginal students for post-secondary studies.
Since the early 1990s there have been astronomical increases in tuition fees at post-secondary institutions across Canada. With each passing year it has become increasingly difficult for students and their families to afford the cost of obtaining a post-secondary education at Canada’s colleges and universities. This situation is even more precarious for Aboriginal young people who want to pursue higher education.
First Nations and Inuit students are provided with financial assistance to pursue a post-secondary education through the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP). Increases in funding for the PSSSP program have been capped by the Federal Government at 2% annually since 1996. This creates a difficult situation for Aboriginal students.
Since 1996, tuition fees have skyrocketed while the average annual inflation rate has exceeded 2%. This has caused the cost of living to increase at a faster rate than funding increases. Furthermore, the number of Aboriginal students who are eligible for funding through the PSSSP program has grown significantly since 1996. As a result, funding has not kept pace with the increased costs of attending a post-secondary institution in Canada.
These circumstances result in over 13,000 eligible Aboriginal students being denied access to post-secondary education due to a lack of funding. Access to education for First Nations peoples is a treaty right. The solution to this problem is to eliminate the annual cap to funding growth for the Post-Secondary Student Support Program. Making a sufficient amount of funding available would mean that every eligible Aboriginal student who wants to attend a post-secondary institution will have the opportunity to do so.
The York University Graduate Students’ Association (YUGSA) and its members call upon the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development to eliminate the 2% annual spending cap on the Post-Secondary Student Support Program. Moreover, the YUGSA insists that a retroactive increase in funding for the PSSSP be implemented to make up for the increasing funding gap that has occurred since 1996. The YUGSA has collected 96 signatures calling for an end to the spending cap.
Sincerely,
Richard Sunichura
Vice-President Equity & Community Relations
York University Graduate Students’ Association
Local 84, Canadian Federation of Students
**********
For more information:
First Nations and Inuit Students are provided assistance to pursue a post-secondary education through the Department of Indian Affairs Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP). However, the Federal government has capped the growth of this fund at 2% annually. This practice has become problematic for two reasons. First, there have been prodigious increases in tuition fees over the years. Second, the number of Aboriginal students eligible for funding through the PSSSP has grown dramatically over the same period of time. As a result, more than 13,000 Aboriginal students have been denied access to a post-secondary education due to lack of funding. Education for Aboriginal peoples is a treaty right and is enshrined in the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982. If you support an increase in funding for post-secondary education, visit the GSA office at 325 student centre to sign the petition!
Please find below a CFS press release in response to the MacDonald-Laurier Institute's report advocating a new approach to funding Aboriginal post-secondary education.
