 |
     |
 |
Where's the Justice? One of the long-standing campaigns of the Canadian Federation of Students is “Where’s the Justice?”. The campaign addresses the federal government’s insufficient response to implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal peoples completed in 1999. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the roots of violence, poverty, and discrimination faced by Aboriginal peoples. The 2005 “Where’s the Justice?” campaign aims to demonstrate how systemic racism faced by Aboriginal youth leads to social and economic barriers.Victories In 2004, the federal government announced that funding for Aboriginal students received under the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Student Support Program, commonly referred to as band funding, would be subject to income tax. Band funding is provided to First Nations by the federal government for distribution to individuals because the federal government has a fiduciary responsibility to provide post-secondary education to Aboriginal people in Canada. In response to the government’s plan, the Federation engaged in a campaign to support Aboriginal rights to post-secondary education by raising public awareness of the issue, working in coalition with First Nations organisations, and lobbying Members of Parliament through a postcard and letter-writing campaign. As a result of the campaign, and in recognition of the ongoing barriers to post-secondary education faced by Aboriginal students, the federal government has discontinued its planned taxation of band funding. Current Issues The Federation continues to campaign for the removal of barriers to post-secondary education faced by aboriginal youth, and for increased funding for the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP). Annual funding for the PSSSP has not kept up with increases in tuition fees. Tuition fees have more than doubled in the last decade, and there has been a 21 percent increase in adult Aboriginal population, but the number of PSSSP recipients rose only 2.4% in the same period. Without reduced tuition fees, and additional funding for Aboriginal students, financial barriers to education remain insurmountable for many students. The Federation is also campaigning for the elimination of tuition fees for Adult Basic Education. In 2003, some colleges in BC started charging tuition fees for Adult Basic Education. This has had a negative effect on the many aboriginal students who finish high school by taking Adult Basic Education. Charging tuition fees for Adult Basic Education courses places a major barrier in front of those students who need to complete high school courses to seek a better job or pursue further education. The Federation is asking the BC government to make these courses free again, and to provide more funding to colleges to offer Adult Basic Education. |
 |
Copyright 2006 © Canadian Federation of Students-British Columbia Component and Canadian Federation of Students-Services |
  |
 |