AMC welcomes federal support for First Nation post-secondary students and calls for stable and predictable funding to meet their needs
April 23, 2020
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
alexpapineau
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) welcomes the announcement by Prime Minister Trudeau for support for First Nations post-secondary students previously not eligible for the other announced federal COVID-19 relief programs, but also notes that it falls short in meeting their actual needs.
The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) will provide a total of $9 billion nationally to eligible postsecondary students. The CESB will mainly be for lost summer employment opportunities due to the pandemic. Of this amount, one-time funding of $75.2 million is set aside for increasing the budget of the Post-secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP), and other existing distinctions-based post-secondary student programs for 2020-21.
AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas said, “The post-secondary student support funding that was announced by the Prime Minister is welcomed. It will ensure that our continuing post-secondary students, as well as new cohorts of post-secondary students, are supported through the summer and into the fall with the onset of the new academic year. However, additional supports will be required to meet the actual needs of our students.”