Trudeau pledges to invest in First Nations education and social programs – The Globe and Mail
Aug. 13, 2015
Reserve schools would immediately get more money if the Liberals are elected, says party Leader Justin Trudeau, who pledges to eliminate the cap on federal transfers to First Nations, imposed 19 years ago under a previous Liberal government, that chiefs blame for the poor quality of their children’s education.
Mr. Trudeau, who was campaigning in Saskatoon on Thursday, also promised that a Liberal government would begin “respectful and inclusive nation-to-nation” negotiations with First Nations leaders with the aim of reviving the Kelowna Accord. That deal, reached in 2005 under then-Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, would have provided billions of dollars for education, housing, health and other indigenous social programs, but it was scrapped when the Conservatives took power the following year.
