Attawapiskat and Aboriginal poverty in Canada

Earlier this month, the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine called Canadians to join him in participating in the National Day of Reconciliation on June 11, 2009.

The day marked the first anniversary of the historical apology by the federal government last year for its role in Canada’s residential school system. The apology called for the establishment of a new standard of behaviour toward Aboriginal people, and June 11 served as a reminder to the federal government to uphold this promise.

While the apology was a step forward, much still needs to be done if reconciliation is to be truly realized. I was distinctly reminded of this at the Canadian Social Forum, where Cindy Blackstock, the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, gave an extremely moving presentation about poverty in Aboriginal communities.

The focus of her presentation was Attawapiskat, a small Cree community in Northern Ontario that has been struggling to provide adequate education for their children.

In 1979, an undiscovered leak underneath the elementary school caused 30,000 gallons of diesel to be spilled into the earth. Children and teachers began to fall ill as a result, complaining of headaches and nausea. In 2000, the leak was discovered and students were pulled from the classrooms. The federal government provided portables for the children, which were intended to be temporary until new facilities were built.

However, nine years later, the children of Attawapiskat are still waiting for a new school. The current portables – which are also located directly beside the abandoned school – do not provide an adequate learning environment for students and have resulted in lowered attendance rates.

The community has lobbied the federal government for a new school for years, but has had no success. In fact, in 2007 the newly appointed Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl cancelled the plan for a new school, saying that there were 29 other First Nations schools that were in worse condition than Attawapiskat’s.

I find this excuse absolutely appalling. And I find the fact that there are over two dozen other schools in worse condition even more disgraceful.

Everyone in Canada deserves to have access to the same quality of education, regardless of their community of origin. And yet this is still not the case. High school graduation rates in First Nations communities are far below the Canadian average. In her presentation, Cindy cited lower levels of funding for education in First Nations communities as a significant factor for this difference.

If there is to truly be reconciliation between First Nations and non-aboriginal peoples in Canada, we must invest in the future of all children in Canada and end the current inequalities in education and living standards that many First Nations communities are experiencing.