Norris Still Optimistic About FNUC’s Future
Friday, March 12, 2010 at 14:50
Advanced Education Minister Rob Norris is willing to encourage Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl to look at returning funding to the First Nations University of Canada.
Yesterday in Ottawa, Strahl told supporters of the university that the federal government wasn’t going to extend funding for the school beyond the end of the month.
Norris says he will be meeting with Strahl on Monday, but adds that a formal agreement detailing a new relationship between the University of Regina and FNUC must be in place to try to convince Strahl to change his mind.
University of Regina President Vianne Timmons told reporters today that she can’t say when a signed memorandum of understanding would be in place, but added that all parties are committed to seeing it happen.
Norris says he’s still optimistic about about the future of the FNUC.
However, one of the members of the interim board that has been set up at the FNUC doesn’t have a lot of hope that either level of government is going to come through with funding for the university.
Sid Fiddler says the board might as well start preparing for the school’s closure — because he feels yesterday’s development will likely lead to a similar announcement from the province.
Fiddler says First Nations leaders and the interim board did all they could to steer the FNUC in the right direction in recent weeks — but he says it now appears both levels of government had made up their minds about this some time ago.
He also doesn’t see proponents of the FNUC being able to get alternative sources of funding, such as SIGA casino profits, because he says it is difficult to change the funding arrangements that are in place.