Letter: Parity on and off

Tansi Windspeaker:
In response to the article in your October 2008 issue 'March For Change' Aboriginal protest on Education in Edmonton.
On the front page are pictures of Aboriginal youth carrying signs. I wonder if they understand what the protest was really about? "Canada must invest in First Nation Education."
Who is being represented in the 'We' in 'We need access to Canada's budget surplus of 9.1 billion?
Much is promised by a newly-elected chief and council who stand on platforms saying that education is important for our youth.
"Education for all First Nations" and "Education is a treaty right". AFN lobbyist Phil Fontaine has put our youth on display, obviously, for his own agenda. A good leader inspires confidence about himself in others; a great leader inspires confidence with others in themselves.
My wife is an educator and has paid her dues just like all others who did their four years in university. There should be no difference between on and off reserve education. She teaches theory and logic and has the very strong values of creativity and imagination. Good balance, this is Indian and she is a proud Cree woman who teaches at a First Nation school. She has taught at public schools and has been teaching in First Nation schools for the last 14 years. Maybe this is where we need to begin, encouraging teachers to educate our future about 'economic inequality' within our own society.
Yes, we do have quality leadership and it is in the classrooms of First Nations.
This is echoed very strongly in the classrooms of First Nations by our teachers who are silenced by political dictatorships. Maybe if they were given the opportunity to teach and not just go through the motions there would be no need for these claims of funding.
My rez is within Treaty 6. My reserve is under 'third party' directed by INAC. Yet our education money destined for our children is being used to pay off debts incurred by past leadership. The demographics of this particular tribal community includes 2,800 members and almost 50 per cent are off reserve.