Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa is calling on Premier Doug Ford for more funding and resources to keep First Nations children safe at schools.
Mamakwa says the Premier knows that First Nations communities need extra money and support for their back-to-school plans but he has yet to take action.
The NDP critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation stresses the funding available today is completely inadequate and is compromising the start of the school year and the safety of students and staff.
Mamakwa notes there is no more time to waste on what he calls a “jurisdictional game of ping-pong being played with First Nations education.
The federal government announced $112-million in funding Wednesday but it’s not clear how that money will be doled out.
Mamakwa says the money is just a fraction of what’s needed to get kids back in school safely, and prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 in First Nations schools.
The decision of schools & parents to have a #SafeSeptember whether sending students to school,to stay home or take on-line courses does not nullify the responsibility of both federal and provincial governments.
Our children do not need to take the backseat to have a safe start. https://t.co/nnlVRVmhpV
— Sol Mamakwa (@solmamakwa) August 22, 2020
