Aboriginal Access

One in four children in Manitoba are Aboriginal. As this young population ages, access to education for Aboriginal students must be a priority.

The provincial government has maintained its commitment to initiatives such as the ACCESS program and Prior Learning Assessment Program, as well as more general measures to improve access.

The ACCESS program provides academic and personal supports as well as bursaries or grants to under-represented post-secondary students. The post-secondary institution administers the academic and personal supports - currently, these institutions include Brandon University, University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, Red River College and University College of the North. Financial assistance is provided to students through federal loans (through the Canada Student Loans Program) and bursaries provided by the provincial government.

The federal government, on the other hand, has not provided adequate support mechanisms.

Funding increases to the federal Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP), which helps status First Nation and Inuit students pursue post-secondary education, has been capped at 2 percent since 1996 - this, in spite of recommendations to increase funding.

As with any non-repayable student financial assistance, skyrocketing tuition fees, increasing living costs and inflation have dramatically depreciated the value of the PSSP.

In order to fulfill its treaty obligations and address the needs of Manitoba's fastest growing population, the federal government must significantly increase funding and other supports for Aboriginal students by immediately removing the 2 percent funding cap. For its part, the provincial government must reduce tuition fees, which undermine the already limited federal funding, and provide more funding for bursaries and grants for Aboriginal students, and peg program funding increases to Aboriginal population growth rates.

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