AANDC press release

Government of Canada, Government of Ontario and Nishnawbe Aski Nation Sign Historic Education Agreement that Will Benefit More than 7,000 Students Across Northern Ontario

MATTAGAMI FIRST NATION, ONTARIO (April 9, 2013) - The Government of Canada,Government of Ontario  , Nishnawbe Aski Nation   (NAN) today signed an historicMemorandum of Understanding (MOU) on First Nation education. The focus of the agreement is to work collaboratively to support NAN students in reaching their full learning potential and in attaining achievement levels comparable to the general student population in Ontario.

The MOU was signed by Grand Chief Harvey Yesno   of Nishnawbe Aski Nation; theHonourable Liz Sandals  , Minister of Education for the Province of Ontario; and theHonourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

"This agreement is another concrete example of our Government's commitment to creating education solutions that will lead to improved graduation rates for First Nation students, while reflecting and respecting local needs," said Minister Valcourt. "By working together we are ensuring that the education needs of First Nation students are put first, and that they get the education they need to be successful."

"The Government of Ontario is committed to achieving excellence in education for all students," said Minister Sandals. "I am truly honoured to be a part of this historic agreement that will support the learning and achievement of Nishnawbe Aski Nation students and strengthen our relationships with their communities."

"This MOU recognizes the authority and autonomy of NAN First Nations and reflects the original spirit and intent of the Treaties, which is Indian control of Indian Education," saidNAN Grand Chief Harvey Yesno. "By working collaboratively we will be better able to prepare our students with the self-confidence and educational opportunities they need to reach their educational goals and achieve their full potential."

The MOU identifies five priority areas for collaboration:

• improving student support services including safety and well-being measures; transition, retention and support mechanisms for students living away from home;
• enhancing curriculum to include and integrate First Nation culture, history, perspectives and languages;
• exploring ways to improve governance and administration including appropriate involvement of First Nations in provincial schools and advisory bodies; and new organizational options for delivering second level services to First Nation schools;
• enhancing human resources by increasing the participation of First Nation staff and Elders in provincial schools while examining mechanisms for joint professional development and exchange between First Nations and provincial school systems; and
• boosting participation of parents whose children attend schools away from their communities.

Through this agreement, Canada, Ontario and NAN have committed to work together to improve educational outcomes for First Nation students in both band-operated and provincial schools.

This is the first tripartite education agreement to be signed in Ontario. Since 2008, the Government of Canada has signed tripartite First Nation education agreements in Prince Edward Island, Alberta, Manitoba, and New Brunswick, as well as sub-regional agreements in Saskatchewan with the Saskatoon Tribal Council, Quebec with the First Nations Education Council of Quebec, and in Yukon with the Council of Yukon First Nations. These agreements are in addition to pre-existing education partnerships in Nova Scotia (1997) and British Columbia (1999).

NAN is a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nation communities   in James Bay Treaty No. 9 and Ontario portions of Treaty No. 5 - an area covering two thirds of the province of Ontario in Canada. Communities in NAN include more than 7,000 First Nation students (K-12), attending either band-operated schools or provincially funded schools.

• Memorandum of Understanding
• List of Nishnawbe Aski Nation Communities  
• Other Tripartite Education Agreements

For more information, please contact:

Government of Canada
Jan O'Driscoll
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Bernard Valcourt
819-997-0002

Media Relations
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
819-953-1160

Government of Ontario
Lauren Ramey 
Office of the Honourable Liz Sandals
416-325-2503 

Gary Wheeler
Communications Branch
416-325-2454

Nishnawbe Aski Nation
Amy Harris
Director of Communications
807-252-2806
aharris@nan.on.ca

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From AANDC

Backgrounder - Memorandum of Understanding on First Nation Education in Ontario

The Government of Canada, Government of Ontario , and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote the success of Ontario First Nation students. This partnership agreement is designed to support and improve educational outcomes for First Nation students attending provincial and band-operated schools from participating NAN communities.

The focus of the agreement is on working collaboratively to support NAN students in reaching their full learning potential and in attaining achievement levels comparable to the general student population in Ontario.

The MOU identifies five priority areas:

Student Support Services: focuses on student safety and well-being measures, transition and orientation programs, retention strategies and parental engagement initiatives, support mechanisms for students living away from home, extra-curricular activities, and anti-drug education;
Curriculum: focuses on the inclusion and integration of First Nation history, culture perspectives and language in provincial curricula, and supporting staff in meeting the holistic learning needs of First Nation students;
Governance and Administration: focuses on a review of First Nation involvement in provincial school board governance and advisory bodies, exploration of organizational options for delivery of second level services, improvements in communication between provincially funded schools and First Nation schools, and the development of a sample tuition agreement;
Human Resources: focuses on increasing participation of First Nation staff and participation of Elders in provincial schools, examination of mechanisms for joint professional development and exchange between the First Nation and provincial education systems, support for cross-cultural training modules and joint teacher training; and
Parental Participation: focuses on the development of strategies to improve communication and involvement of First Nation parents whose children attend schools away from their communities.
With this agreement, Canada, Ontario and NAN will continue the joint development of an implementation plan based on the five priority areas. Monitoring, evaluating and reporting will be completed annually on the outcomes of this plan.

NAN is a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nation communities in James Bay Treaty No. 9 and Ontario portions of Treaty No. 5 - an area covering two thirds of the province of Ontario in Canada. Communities in NAN include more than 7,000 First Nation students (K-12), attending either band-operated schools or provincially funded schools.