PACP Committee News Release
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Standing Committee on Public Accounts |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent des comptes publics |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
COMMITTEE CRITIZES INDIAN AND NORTHERN AFFAIRS HANDLING OF NATIVE EDUCATION; SEEKS ASSURANCES THAT DEPARTMENT WILL RESPECT ITS PROMISES
Ottawa, June 14, 2005 -
Mr. John Williams, Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, today tabled a report that criticized the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s (INAC) for failing to honour promises to act on recommendations from an earlier Committee report which were designed to improve First Nation education accountability and outcomes.
As a result, the Committee issued a new round of recommendations that seek assurances from the Department that it will respect the latest series of promises contained in the Department’s First Nation Education Action Plan, which was drafted in response to the Committee’s frustration with slow progress in improving First Nation educational outcomes.
In her November 2004 report, Auditor General Sheila Fraser found that the time needed to close the education gap between First Nations and the broader Canadian population was growing, not shrinking, in spite of increases in educational funding. Using 2001 Census data, the Auditor General calculated it would now take 28 years for the native population to attain the same educational profile as the overall Canadian population, up from 27 years using 1996 Census data.
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