Students across Canada rally to support Aboriginal right to education

OTTAWA, Sept. 23 /CNW/ - Today, students are rallying in support of Aboriginal peoples treaty right to education. The main event will take place on Parliament Hill where students will join others to call on the government to lift the cap on funding for the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP).

"The government of Canada is failing Aboriginal peoples," said Cassandra Opikokew, Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students. "The treaty rights of Aboriginal peoples are more than a promise, they are a moral obligation and an economic necessity."

Between 1996 and 2006, the Aboriginal population in Canada grew by 45%. However, funding increases to the PSSSP, the main funding mechanism for Aboriginal students, have been capped at two percent since 1996. The Assembly of First Nations estimates that more than 15,000 Aboriginal students have been shut out of college or university since the cap was put in place.

The cost of funding Aboriginal learners is significantly outweighed by the return. According to a recent report by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, closing the education attainment gap would increase the potential contribution of Aboriginal Canadians to the Gross Domestic Product to over $400 billion over a twenty-year period.

"The federal government must live up to its obligations and ensure that every able and willing Aboriginal student is able to access post-secondary education," added Opikokew.

Founded in 1981, the Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organization, uniting over one-half million students from all ten provinces. The National Aboriginal Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students is the national voice of Aboriginal students at universities and colleges in Canada. 

For further information:

or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Cassandra Opikokew, National Aboriginal Caucus Chairperson		306.537.2043 (cellular)
David Molenhuis, National Chairperson		613.232.7394 (office)