The federal government held a closed meeting with some First Nations leaders on education in Saskatoon on Friday but clearly not everyone was on the same page.
Officials from the Prince Albert Grand Council were at the meeting but only to state they do not agree with the federal government’s process and will not formally participate unless it changes.
Prince Albert Grand Council Chief Ron Michel says PAGC First Nations do not agree with what they say is a top down approach the Harper government is taking to on-reserve education and are calling for a more consultative approach.
“We’re not very satisfied with the system right now and to give control to somebody else to come tell us what to do is not right,” he says. “That’s my belief and my chiefs have told us that, that we have to do something.”
Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Darrell McCallum also says he can’t understand why all of the province’s First Nations were not invited to participate in the meeting.
PAGC officials say the real problem with on-reserve education is that it is grossly under funded compared to what other students attending provincial schools receive.
The Saskatoon meeting, which took place at Teachers’ Credit Union Place, is the second on aboriginal education to be held around the country.
The aim is to improve educational outcomes of First Nations students and explore current funding arrangements.
Educators, First Nations leaders and representatives from the federal government took part.