Areas with the most Indigenous population lack federal funding for health and education facilities
Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories have yet to receive any targeted investment in education and health facilities, analysis shows
Growing up as Indigenous youth, Colesen Ford doesn’t really worry a lot about his education funding because he knows his nation has his back.
“It really allowed me to make what decision I thought was right for me at the time,” said Ford, who recently graduated from the Indigenous Governance program at Yukon University. The program was funded and created by Yukon First Nations, giving the nations the ability to outline key learning outcomes for they wanted to exist in the programming. This makes Ford’s classes exciting for him and the skills taught were relatable to his experience as an indigenous youth in Yukon.
Although Ford said he was fortunate enough to be supported by the territory, he would like the government to fund more educational facilities in Yukon. The territory of Yukon has zero federally funded education facilities, as well as no health, and cultural and recreation infrastructures.
The Targeted Investments in First Nations Community Infrastructure dataset outlines projects on reserves that are funded through Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) programs.
The targeted investments are only limited to infrastructures for registered First Nation reserves, not including Inuit and Metis.
As of June 30, 2021, First Nation communities in Yukon have received a total of $24,407,439 departmental investment from the federal government to improve infrastructures on reserves. Ontario First Nations reserves have received the most support with a total of $5,704,757,646 departmental investment.
Across Canada, 4236 out of 9037 targeted investments in First Nations community infrastructure remain incomplete. Meanwhile, in Yukon, 51 out of 109 projects are still ongoing. The Kluane First Nation— the nation that Ford belongs to— has only one completed housing project.
As a youth councillor at the Kluane First Nation and a recent graduate, Ford said when baseline for any type of funding is based on Indigenous Services Canada, or National Aboriginal services, it becomes “damaging” as “it's looking to, like a colonial system to set a baseline.”
He added that there is a “stark contrast” for funding applications since each band has a different agreement with the government.
“You will have a fundamentally different experience applying for funding better and worse, in a lot of regards, but it’s just different,” said Ford.
"When baseline for any type of funding is based on Indigenous Services Canada or National Aboriginal services, it becomes damaging as it's looking to a colonial system to set a baseline"
Besides Yukon, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Nunavut also receive no targeted investment for education facilities.
By mapping the 2016 Census on Aboriginal population and overlaying location data of targeted investment projects, it could determine whether ISC and CIRNAC provide sufficient funding for education facilities in Indigenous communities.
With most aboriginal peoples located in Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories, these communities also saw no federally invested education facilities. However, no reserves in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have received any federal investment for infrastructures.