Our Children Our Future Our Vision - People for Education

Our Children, Our Future, Our Vision
programs for Aboriginal Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Aboriginal Child Nutrition. 149
This reality creates a funding and programming maze that First Nations have to navigate in order
to meet the early learning needs of young First Nations children and their families. The maze of
federal and provincial funding and programming not only creates a substantial reporting burden it
is also notably underfunded. 150 The number one challenge indicated by a 2004 study conducted in
Ontario was that more funding was needed for sustained program staffing, equipment, resources
and capital to implement, support and house Early Childhood Development (ECD) programming. 151
Canada asserts jurisdiction to legislate with regards to “Indians and lands reserved for the Indians”
as per section 91(24) of Constitution Act, 1867. This jurisdiction also comes with a fiduciary obligation
to act in the best interests of First Nations. However, services such as childcare and education
come under provincial jurisdiction. Often the issue of inadequate funding results in a jurisdictional
debate between federal and provincial governments which completely ignores the primary and
over-riding jurisdiction of First Nations to govern themselves.
Programs pertaining to early childhood development are funded by both federal and provincial
governments. However, elementary and secondary education is funded exclusively by the federal
government through INAC. Therefore, the education portion of early education for children ages
4-6 who attend elementary school is funded by the federal government. Since the Ontario Ministry
of Education instituted full day kindergarten in provincially funded schools, First Nations communities
in Ontario have been working to resolve this discrepancy. Many First Nations communities
and organizations are attempting to coordinate all of the funding and programming envelopes
available for children 0-6 to ensure they provide First Nation children an appropriate early learning
environment that ensures future educational success.
Key issues at this level of education include First Nations having to coordinate the various programming
and funding streams to meet the needs of their families and children. Having to access
various funding “pots” offered through several different ministries creates an undue burden for
proposal writing and reporting requirements. Therefore, funding allocations generally go to communities
with the capacity for effective proposal and report writing. This translates to an inequitable
distribution of the available funds to support families and children in First Nation communities.
Canada must ensure that any changes in provincial education policy that directly affects First
Nations are adequately reflected in programming and funding allocations to First Nations.
149 Chiefs of Ontario, “The Ontario First Nations Early Childhood Development Roll-Up Report 2005” (Toronto: Chiefs of
Ontario, 2005) Appendix B at 2-4.
150 Ibid. Appendix L at 7.
151 Ibid. at Appendix F at 1-16.
33 Chiefs of Ontario