AMC’s Statement regarding newly announced Federal Pandemic Funding for First Nations
October 31, 2020
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
alexpapineau
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) welcomes today’s Federal announcement saying that Ottawa will spend an additional $204 million targeted at childcare, education and infrastructure to help Indigenous communities fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The AMC welcomes this announcement today by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,” stated AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas. “First Nations in Manitoba continue to be hard hit by COVID-19 and the second wave of this pandemic. This funding will help to alleviate some of the pressure our parents are feeling as our schools are shut down and as they attempt to access early learning and childcare (ELCC) supports, which are extremely limited within our Nations. Childcare and early learning are absolutely critical to our Nations in the immediate term, and absolutely essential to recovery and to safely restarting our economies once our public health officials give the go-ahead. The support for our post-secondary students is also welcomed. Every little bit of funding for our post-secondary students is welcome, to support them through these trying times. Our post-secondary funding has remained essentially at the same levels since the early 1980s, while our First Nations populations have dramatically increased, so any funding to bolster the existing First Nations Post-secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) is welcomed. I thank the Prime Minister on behalf of the AMC member First Nations for the support for addressing pandemic mitigation and recovery; and I call on him and Minister Miller to make this ELCC and PSSSP support and funding permanent once the pandemic subsides.”