RE: Indigenous Students are working with CUSA on budget cuts, Nov. 4-11
I fully agree with Ashley Courchene when he affirms that “Carleton University Students Association budget cuts . . . related to high suicide rates within Indigenous communities is a spurious argument.”
However, his claim that my Oct. 16 piece reflects “irresponsible journalism” is totally unfounded.
An Opinions and Editorial section is to express opinions, rather than to present journalistic research that must include as many voices as possible on any given issue.
Contrary to Courchene’s claims, my piece neither implies that Indigenous students are to be understood as passive social agents, nor that CUSA is responsible for any suicide.
That would be an absurd assertion.
My piece certainly does put emphasis on CUSA’s disinvestment on Indigenous students through an objective analysis of its budgets over the last two years.
This process kept its pace into July 2014. While every other centre other than the Gender and Sexuality Resource Centre saw an increase on their budgets, the Aboriginal Service Centre saw its cut.
I also signalled the inconsistency of the rationale for this decision—not wanting to duplicate the few services offered by the university’s Centre for Aboriginal Culture and Education.
I said this process reminds me of some of the historical consequences produced by the colonial-settler system (i.e. reduction of economic support for Indigenous vis-à-vis non-Indigenous people, which is related to Indigenous youth suicides).
Considering some of the consequences that this system brings, I encouraged CUSA “to learn about, be sensitive to, and fight for” what Indigenous peoples have been working towards for centuries in what is now known as Canada.
It is valuable that Indigenous students mobilized in mid-September 2014 to address the budget cuts to the Aboriginal Service Centre.
However, according to Courchene’s description, this action was started by concerned Indigenous students. Therefore, the extent to which some CUSA members understand the relevance of the issue still remains to be seen.
Nonetheless, it is a good sign that CUSA’s vice-president (student services) listened and started collaborating with Indigenous students.
Indigenous young people are becoming more present and relevant in the overall reconfiguration of Canada.
Not only will Indigenous Peoples may potentially increase their demographic share by 50 per cent in the next 15 years according to Statistics Canada but also because many are participating in issues that matter to Canada.
My opinion does not, in any way, impede helping to repair the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, as Courchene asserts. Silencing voices does.
Moreover, Indigenous students need no education about their own lives. Non-Indigenous people do, to an extent that is impossible to fully enunciate in my piece.
