Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, spoke at the second annual Katherine A.H. Graham Lecture on Aboriginal Policy Sept. 28 at the Carleton University Art Gallery.
Atleo was appointed chancellor of Vancouver Island University in 2008, becoming British Columbia’s first indigenous chancellor. He holds a master of education in adult learning and global change.
The main topic discussed discussed during the lecture was education. Aboriginal children are the only group who don’t have a statutory guarantee of education, Atelo said. Today there are only 60 aboriginal schools in Canada, Atleo said, and currently, no resources for language training exist.
Atleo said $115 billion can be saved in government spending if the gap between aboriginal education and public education is closed. He added he wants to see a 100 per cent graduation rate among aboriginal students.
In addition to education, Atleo also suggested four changes he'd like to see made to aboriginal policy. He'd like to reset crown relations with aboriginals, develop new fiscal relationships with the Canadian government, implement a First Nations government, and make some structural changes related to communication between aboriginals and the Canadian government.
The annual Katherine A.H. Graham Lecture on Aboriginal Policy is held to honour Graham, who is the former dean of Carleton’s faculty of public affairs.
Her commitment to the sustainability of aboriginal communities through public policy and citizen engagement brought prominence to the faculty, according to the program flyer.