First Nations in Quebec to get new college

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It's been decades in the making, but it appears First Nation people in Quebec are finally getting a post-secondary institute to call their own.

In late October 2006, the Quebec government announced it would provide $200,000 per year for operation of the new school. Additional funds to develop program content for the institution were also announced by the federal government, with Indian and Northern Affairs committing $365,000 to the project.

The new school will operate as a CEGEP (College d'enseignement general et professionnel or college of general and vocational education), a type of institution where students can take courses to prepare them for university studies or for entry into the working world.

This isn't the first time a First Nation post-secondary institution has been planned in the province. One was established in the mid-70s, but was shut down by the federal government after five years of operation.

"A lot of the communities and a lot of the leaders ... recall the impact that it had for them, and the programs, the inclusion of Elders and whatnot, so there was always that push to have a post-secondary institution controlled by First Nations, with solid content, quality programs, not watered-down, allowing students to move on wherever they need to move on, but giving them a First Nations perspective," said Gilbert Whiteduck, education advisor for the First Nations Education Council, an association representing Quebec's First Nations that is working to establish the new college.

The new institution won't be quite as independent as Whiteduck would like, at least in the early stages of operation. Under its agreement with the province, the school must operate in partnership with existing CEGEPs in order to have accreditation for the programs it offers. The new school has selected one English CEGEP and one French CEGEP with which to partner-Dawson College in Montreal and the Abitibi-Temiskaming CEGEP in northern Quebec.

Enrolling in the proposed First Nations college would be of benefit to First Nation people regardless of their future plans, Whiteduck said.

"We're looking at fundamentally two options for students. One of them is that if they manage to complete the two-year program, that they could go on to university in a number of areas of their choice, anywhere in Canada," he said.

"If they decided the don't want to go to university but they want to return back home, we believe that the program and courses they would have taken would give them the skills to take on managerial jobs, take on leadership jobs at the political level. They would have good research skills, they would have a good understanding of the historical context, the contemporary issues facing First Nations."

Whiteduck is hopeful a First Nation CEGEP will mean more First Nation students will pursue a post-secondary education and complete it successfully. Existing institutions, he said, are not welcoming to First Nation students, and aren't offering them what they're seeking.

"The students are being asked to leave their beliefs, their values, their world view, at the gate of the university and then enter and accept everything that's there, and they find that very challenging," he said.

The school will only be able to accommodate a small number of students when it first opens, and will only be offering a social science program, adapted to ensure the First Nation world view is incorporated throughout. It's not yet known where the school will be located, although Whiteduck said a number of promising sites are being considered, from taking over the high school buildings in Kahnawake when the high school moves into its new facilities to purchasing a monastery located near Kanesatake.

While the institution will be starting small, Whiteduck is optimistic it will grow and eventually attract First Nation students from beyond the borders of Quebec.

"As we grow we're hoping that it'll become known and then it'll become one of the choics for other First Nations students who may be looking for this kind of program across Canada and cannot find it. So we're trying to develop it as much as we can in the unique fashion that responds to that. And again, we're always, as an organization, as individuals, prepared to share our experiences with other people and we learn and help each other that way."

One of the biggest concerns surrounding creation of the new schools is that, unless some stable, ongoing funding is committed to the project, it might face the same fate as its predecessor did 30 years ago. The current funding committed by INAC is only good for two years and is solely for program development.

Despite the uncertainty, plans are going ahead with an eye to the first cohorts-one in English and one in French-beginning in August 2008.