Aboriginal education cash lags behind Canada’s birthday bash – Winnipeg Free Press
April 22, 2015
Indigenous Canadians and the environment are the big losers in a federal budget that claws back a previous commitment toward aboriginal education and makes no mention of climate change.
Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s first budget calls for $200 million in spending on indigenous education programs during the next five years. This is a reannouncement of one component of a 2014 commitment for spending a total of $1.9 billion in this area.
In addition to the $200 million in program funding, another $1.2 billion was allotted for operating funds to help schools on First Nations and $500 million was planned for capital construction. A further $215 million was allocated for indigenous skills training and $14 million for Indpsire, a non-profit organization that invests in indigenous education.
