Stifling First Nations Students' Future

"Our government is extremely disappointed that the Assembly of First Nations (AFN did not honour its agreement with the government."
"As we have said all along, this legislation will not proceed without the support of AFN, and we have been clear that we will not invest new money in an education system that does not serve the best interests of First Nations children; funding will only follow real education reforms."
Andrea Richer, director of communications, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt

"[The government] must withdraw Bill C-33 and engage in an  honourable process with First Nations that recognizes and supports First Nations control of education based on our responsibilities and inherent Aboriginal and Treaty rights."
"[First Nations] reject [Bill C-33 and] demand the government withdraw it immediately."
AFN chiefs' special Tuesday meeting

Chief Rufus Copage of Shubenacadie (Indian Brook) First Nations, N.S., carries the Assembly of First Nations Eagle Staff as chiefs parade into a special AFN meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday.  Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Chief Rufus Copage of Shubenacadie (Indian Brook) First Nations, N.S., carries the Assembly of First Nations Eagle Staff during the grand entry as First Nations leaders, elders, youth and delegates gather for the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 27, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick - See more at: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/news/national/chiefs-vote-to-reject-proposed-changes-to-first-nations-education-1.1076489#sthash.LHHCrKeO.dpuf

First Nations chiefs insist on their demand that the federal government "negotiate" a new agreement. Foremost among their demands, however, is that of insisting that the government immediately surrender the $1.9-billion that was supposed to accompany and accommodate the institution of Bill C-33 education reforms which proposed to hand control of on-reserve education to First Nations, at the same time setting standards along with the provision of additional funds.

This was a bill whose details were undertaken in full consultation with the Assembly of First Nations which demanded a number of alterations to the bill to reform First Nations education. Grand Chief Shawn Atleo approved of the resulting amended bill and gave it his stamp of support. The federal government was prepared to proceed, when some of the AFN chiefs protested and demanded its rejection on the basis that the federal government hadn't engaged in sufficient consultation.

Their belligerent stance caused Shawn Atleo to stand down from his post, something that had never before occurred within the Assembly of First Nations, leaving it leaderless. With Chief Atleo's resignation, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Valcourt stated the government had no intention of imposing the bill on an unwilling First Nations and placed it on hold "until the AFN clarifies its position".

It has now done so, after hours of debate between chiefs some of whom were dismayed at their internal and eternal fractious bickering: "This is ridiculous. All we do is sit here and fight amongst ourselves. Eventually, we've got to compromise", stated British Columbia Chief Byron Louis, who had supported Bill C-33.

It is, in fact, beyond mere 'ridiculous'. It is an oppositional AFN determined to reject anything and everything proposed within reasonable debate by a government that strives to meet its full obligations both to First Nations' future and to the taxpayers of Canada. In summation, short of offering unrestrained funding for anything the AFN deems fit to undertake, and never asking that the funding be accounted for, nothing will suffice to satisfy the AFN leadership.

Some chiefs, like Manitoba's Derek Nepinak and Saskatchewan's Perry Bellegarde, would be satisfied only if the government dissolved its own authority and handed over the country's funding of all national projects to the AFN for their expert disbursement, with no restraints whatever either on amounts or outcomes.