Tories Appear Poised To End Student Grants: FSIN

Tories Appear Poised To End Student Grants: FSIN

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 13:38

An FSIN vice-chief says time is running out to chart a course for post-secondary education funding.

Delbert Wapass says this year’s throne speech clearly shows the government is intent on devolving the responsibilities for university funding to the provinces.

Wapass adds the budget shows Ottawa is gaining confidence in steering treaty students to the Canadian Student Loan Program instead of grants.

In an address to the FSIN special assembly in Saskatoon yesterday, Wapass told the assembled chiefs: “INAC is concentrating on trying to maximize existing funding and steering First Nations students to bursaries, scholarships and student loans. There have been warnings from this government for the past two years, but they now have a confidence to put forth their plan to the budget that they do not support the Post-Secondary (Student Support) Program in its present form. They have told us the status quo is not an option.”

According to Wapass, Saskatchewan gets about $70 million of the $314 million Indian Affairs spends on First Nations post-secondary education every year.