OTTAWA - Supporters of First Nations University of Canada say the federal government has turned down their request to restore funding to the troubled institution.
Teachers, students, aboriginal leaders and others took to Parliament Hill on Thursday to plead their case with Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl, but left disappointed.
"We have received a 'No' in terms of $7.2 million in restorative funding," Guy Lonechild, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, said after meeting with Strahl.
"What this does is make, I think, the future of First Nations University that much more uncertain," said Lonechild.
"When we have issues of financial stability and we have issues of governance and we go through and make those changes, the message that we're saying is being sent to First Nations in Saskatchewan and Canada is that First Nations education is not a priority."
Last month, the federal and Saskatchewan governments cut a total of $12.5 million in funding to the country's only aboriginal university over allegations of financial mismanagement and systemic problems related to how the Regina-based school was run.
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, which oversees the university, recently replaced the school's of board of governors and put senior administrative staff on leave. On Tuesday, the federation handed over control of the school's finances to the University of Regina in the hope that the federal government would restore funding.
But Strahl said the decision to stop the funding came after years of efforts to fix the governance problems.
"The efforts to bring change at the university pre-date our government's time in office. And there have been studies, forensic audits, co-funded efforts on governance reform; we've put conditional funding in place - almost every effort imaginable to try to change how the university was run," said Strahl.
"Now of course they're saying, 'Now, for sure, change is coming.' But frankly we're just not going to continue in this current funding arrangement which is why the provincial government withdrew their funding as well."
The president of the First Nations University Students Association said the decision puts the future of students in limbo.
"My fellow students are committed to studying at the only aboriginal university in Canada, where we work on unique programs that we cannot access anywhere else in this country," said Diane Adams.
"Many students at this university will not choose to go to mainstream institutions. Those students - without this commitment - will exit the post-secondary stream forever."
The aboriginal university opened in 2003 with the idea that education would be to the future of young aboriginal people what the buffalo was to past generations. But it has been under a cloud for virtually its entire existence.
The federation set up an all-chiefs task force that recommended governance changes, but they were never made. Enrolment has dwindled. There were about 1,200 students when it became a university in 2003 but less than 700 are currently registered.
Saskatchewan Advanced Education Minister Rob Norris said Thursday that the $5.2 million in provincial funding could reach First Nations students through the University of Regina.
"We've been crystal clear and that is, funding is not going to be renewed for First Nations University of Canada. What we've said is that our dollars are accessible if and as a successful partnership is developed and those dollars will flow to and through the partner," said Norris.
Details of the partnership agreement still need to be finalized, but Norris said he thinks the sides are "making some real progress." Norris said he hoped to have the agreement in his hands ahead of a meeting Monday with Strahl.
First Nations University representatives said that while they may be able to keep the school's doors open for the rest of the academic year, their main concern is whether students will be able to return in the fall. They plan to request a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall to press for restoration of funding.
The federal Liberals and NDP also called Thursday for government funding to be reinstated.