Attention News Editors:

Jean Charest confirms the under-funding of First Nations education

    WENDAKE, QC, July 24 /CNW Telbec/ - The First Nations Education Council
(FNEC) is pleased to learn that Quebec Premier Jean Charest has publicly
confirmed that the funding for First Nations education is insufficient.
Premier Charest, who chaired the annual meeting of the Council of the
Federation last week in Quebec City, has said that the funding of education in
the Aboriginal communities should be among the priorities for discussion at a
future meeting with the federal governement. He added that in Canada, twice as
much spending goes towards the education of children in non-Aboriginal
communities than to the education of children in the First Nations.
    Mr. Charest is the second premier, after Ontario's Dalton McGuinty, to
acknowledge the justness of the First Nations' claims for adequate funding of
their education. In this regard, numerous reports and studies have gone
unanswered by the federal government.
    "If the provinces are confirming what we have been repeating for several
years, perhaps the federal government will finally revise the funding for
First Nations education," noted FNEC Director Lise Bastien. The funding gap
has only widened over the years, and for numerous reasons. The First Nations'
schools are funded according to an inadequate formula which dates back
20 years and has not been indexed since 1996. The formula also does not take
account of new educational developments in different areas, including among
others, technology, sports and recreation, and the funding of educational
professionals, etc.
    Mr. Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and
Labrador (AFNQL), says he hopes that the other Premiers, along with the
Ministers of Education, will join with Premiers Charest and McGuinty in
denouncing this chronic under-funding of First Nations education. He added
that the federal government is aware of and denies its responsibility towards
First Nations education.
    The FNEC note's that the vast awareness campaign it has been running for
more than a year to gain recognition of the under-funding of First Nations
education finally appears to be getting the desired results!

    The FNEC is an organization that has been representing 22 communities in
Quebec for more than 20 years. Its primary mission is to promote the interests
of First Nations communities in order to improve the educational services
offered to all First Nations students.
    For more information on the FNEC or on our educational awareness
campaign, please visit our website at www.cepn-fnec.com

For further information: Thanissa Lainé, Communication Agent, FNEC,
(418) 842-7672