AANO Committee Report

RECOMMENDATIONS

Creating Positive Outcomes

1. The Committee recommends that the Department, in collaboration with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholders, develop a national database web site, accessible via the Internet, for the purpose of making information about successful programs and initiatives in Aboriginal post-secondary education widely available to Aboriginal organizations, communities, learners and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal institutions;

that the database include information about successful initiatives developed by First Nations, Inuit and Métis segments of the Aboriginal population; and

that the Department ensure information about the database, and annual reports outlining its contents, are widely disseminated.

Student Funding

2. The Committee recommends that the 2% annual cap on spending increases for the Department’s Post-Secondary Education Program be eliminated immediately;

that the Department’s spending increases for PSE programming be based on actual costs associated with program components and not be subject to discretionary caps;

that the Department make it a priority to provide adequate funding under the PSE Program to every eligible First Nations and Inuit learner and put in place a plan to achieve that priority by the end of 2007, said plan to include implementation measures with clear target dates;

that the Department ensure financial assistance for eligible First Nations and Inuit learners under the Department’s PSE program is based on actual costs incurred for tuition, travel and living expenses, and indexed annually to reflect rises in both tuition costs and the cost of living; and

that the Department review the categories of eligible expenses under the PSE program in order to ensure that the real expenses routinely incurred by individual eligible First Nations and Inuit learners are covered. Such expenses may include, but are not limited to, child care, special needs, and special shelter. This review should occur immediately, and at regular intervals thereafter.

3. The Committee recommends that the Department’s budget, in the 2007-2008 and ensuing fiscal years, be increased to reflect increased expenditures associated with providing more funding to more eligible First Nations and Inuit learners.

4. The Committee recommends that the Department take immediate steps, together with its regional offices and First Nations and Inuit administering organizations, to ascertain, by the end of 2007, the identities of eligible First Nations and Inuit learners who have been denied PSE funding owing to insufficient allocations;

that a special fund be established for the specific purpose of providing these learners with adequate PSE funding for one year, following which they would fall under the regular PSE regime we propose; and

that the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development seek one-time special authority for this purpose.

Data Collection and Tracking

5. The Committee recommends that the Department’s new policy and management frameworks outline specific measures, developed in close collaboration with First Nations and Inuit administering organizations and its regional offices, for gathering accurate information about the numbers of First Nations and Inuit learners eligible for as well as those applying for funding for each following academic year;

that the participation of First Nations and Inuit administering organizations in the development of these measures be financed by the Department;

that the measures developed include provisions for enhancing the information-gathering capacity of First Nations and Inuit communities and administering organizations; and

that the information-gathering measures outlined in the Department’s policy and management frameworks be implemented by all regional offices.

6. The Committee recommends that the Department take immediate steps, in collaboration with Aboriginal organizations with expertise in the area, such as the First Nations Statistical Institute, to establish and finance an information and tracking national PSE data base; and

that the Department and its regional offices ensure comprehensive information about the PSE data base, including privacy protection measures, is widely disseminated to First Nations and Inuit administering organizations and communities.

Allocation and Delivery of PSE Funding

7. The Committee recommends that the Department’s new policy and management frameworks set out a precise methodology, developed in collaboration with Aboriginal organizations with expertise in the area, to be used by all regional offices in allocating and delivering PSE funds to First Nations and Inuit administering organizations;

that the Department ensure all administering organizations are made aware of its new policy and management frameworks, and any associated guidelines related to PSE allocation and delivery; and

that the Department, in collaboration with administering organizations, establish appropriate mechanisms to monitor the allocation and delivery of PSE funds.

Indian Studies Support Program

8. The Committee recommends that the Department’s new policy and management frameworks outline specific measures, developed in collaboration with organizations representing Aboriginal and mainstream post-secondary institutions, for gathering accurate information on an annual basis about the actual funding needs of those institutions; and

that the Department take immediate steps, in collaboration with organizations representing Aboriginal and mainstream post-secondary institutions, to evaluate the adequacy of ISSP allocations overall, and develop a funding methodology for the ISSP that is based on the actual funding needs of Aboriginal and mainstream post-secondary institutions.

9. The Committee recommends that the Department take immediate steps to ensure ISSP funding is accessible to otherwise eligible post-secondary programs originating in Canada’s territories.

Access to Post-Secondary Programming

10. The Committee recommends that the government enter into immediate consultations with NAAF and Métis, Non-Status and urban Aboriginal organizations, with a view to developing a collaborative plan aimed at providing more financial assistance, including eligibility and access under the PSE Program, to more Aboriginal post-secondary learners.

PROPOSALS

1. The Committee strongly urges the Department, in its current review of the ISSP, and in collaboration with organizations representing Aboriginal post-secondary institutions, to undertake a careful re-evaluation of current short-term funding practices overall, and its current position with respect to core funding in particular.

2. The Committee urges the federal Minister of Indian Affairs, departmental officials, and other federal departments and officials with responsibilities in the area of education, to ensure outstanding funding and accreditation issues affecting Aboriginal-controlled institutions are raised in any inter-governmental meetings on Aboriginal post-secondary education, or on post-secondary education more generally, and to urge provincial and territorial governments to address them.

3. The Committee encourages the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development to work with Human Resources and Social Development Canada with a view to developing a co-ordinated approach toward Aboriginal post-secondary learners in vocational and skills training programs.

4. The Committee urges the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, in collaboration with Human Resources and Social Development Canada and the First Nations Education Council, to work toward resolving the anomaly affecting First Nations learners enrolled in Québec vocational training programs.