Two northern Saskatchewan candidates are weighing in on a disputed Liberal promise of $2.6 billion for core First Nations education.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made that pledge in August, using the phrase “total new funding.”
But the NDP claim he has slashed that commitment to $900 million based on the fiscal framework the Liberals released last month.
Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River NDP candidate Georgina Jolibois says Trudeau can’t call money pledged by the Tories “new funding.”
“That is not new dollars, that is existing dollars meant for Indian Affairs, Jolibois said.
The Liberals say they have made it clear that $1.7 billion of Trudeau’s pledge is delivering on an unfulfilled Tory funding commitment.
Jolibois’ Liberal rival, Lawrence Joseph, says no one can say his leader is breaking his promise to First Nations children mid-campaign.
“It baffles me how they can actually say we’re going to attack the children: the most vulnerable. I don’t think so. This is ridiculous,” he said.
“The allegation that is there is so painful to listen to because, number one, it’s not true. And secondly, targeting First Nations children is kind of a low blow.”
The Liberals say they will also invest $500 million over the next three years for immediate First Nations education infrastructure.