Amid the vast gaps between levels of education achieved by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, there is a glimmer of hope – an indication of what a brighter future could look like.
The overall goal is easy to state but has proven intractable for decades: Indigenous people in Canada should finish high school, and higher levels of education, at the same rate as everyone else in the country. One of the primary systemic barriers, past and present, is the lack of equitable funding.
There is a long way to go but consider these data from the 2021 census, in research published by Statistics Canada last fall. While there are large divides between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the labour market, from the participation rate to the unemployment rate, the picture shifts markedly when one looks at Indigenous people who have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
At that education level, Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people participate in the economy at the same rate and have the same employment rate.
It’s a herald of what could be: The push to increase the number of Indigenous people who finish high school and go on to postsecondary education is all about closing societal gaps with other Canadians, from household incomes to health outcomes.
Progress here is a pillar of reconciliation. This space in recent days has delved into several aspects of reconciliation, from a historic land deal in British Columbia to bolstering Indigenous businesses through federal spending procurements.
Education is prominent in the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They include postsecondary funding for First Nations students and eliminating the funding discrepancy on and off reserves.
The outcomes of Indigenous people with bachelor’s degrees or higher are promising. They show what’s possible. But there’s another glaring number that illustrates how much more work there is to do. According to the 2021 census, just 12.9 per cent of Indigenous people aged 25 to 64 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. That’s up slightly from 11.3 per cent in 2016. The rate for non-Indigenous people is almost triple, at 33.8 per cent.
Here is the stark reality: If the rate of Indigenous people finishing university remains at the 2016-21 trend, it will take until the year 2086 before the percentage of Indigenous people earning bachelor’s degrees reaches the level of non-Indigenous Canadians.
The challenges are myriad. Funding is obvious, especially for schools in more remote First Nations. There’s also the dark cloud of the history of residential schools. But gains are being made, particularly among younger Indigenous people. For status First Nations people aged 18 to 24 on reserve, the rate of those with a high school or equivalent diploma in 2021 was 52.2 per cent, up 10 percentage points since 2016. The rate off reserve was 73.3 per cent, up five percentage points. Among non-Indigenous Canadians, the 2021 rate of finishing high school was 89.6 per cent, up two percentage points.
In the recent federal budget, Indigenous investments account for the most new spending in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years of various Liberal initiatives, from housing to defence. Of the money, $1.2-billion will go to elementary and secondary schooling on reserves, as well as education infrastructure. The Liberals also promised $243-million for Indigenous postsecondary students.
For Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba, money is the long-standing issue, the divides between school funding in cities compared with First Nations reserves. In a recent interview with The Globe’s editorial board, he pointed to other important interventions. Manitoba is working toward a universal school nutrition program in the province. It’s aimed at all young people but has a specific eye on Indigenous youth, especially in rural areas. “If we can give a kid a reason to show up at school,” Mr. Kinew said, “we are going to do so much better for that child and for our society. To me this is the one that has a lot of potential to move the needle.”
The goal is clear. Close the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Do it as soon as possible. It’ll produce a bounty of dividends, for individuals, communities and the whole country.