This is a historic education agreement, in which the 23 First Nations and the Ontario government reaffirm their commitment to supporting the well-being and performance of Students in Anishinabek, wherever students attend school. The MEA will also support the implementation of the AES. 7 A participating First Nation may, to the extent provided for by the agreement, pass laws that respect the education applicable to its reserve, as defined in Section 2(1) of Indian law. “The adoption of this law comes after 20 years of negotiations and a two-year ratification process. Under this act, Canada recognizes the jurisdiction of the First Nation. We must now take the words aside and create an education system that supports the success and well-being of Anishinabek students. This is an exciting time for anIshinabek First Nations,” says Tracey O`Donnell. On August 16, 2017, the Government of Canada and 23 Nations of Anishinabek signed a landmark autonomy agreement on education. The Anishinabek Nation Education Agreement, reached through more than 20 years of negotiations, is an important step in Indian law towards greater self-determination of participating First Nations. 2.
The training provided must, as far as possible, be comparable to that offered by the Ontario public school system in order to facilitate the transfer of students without academic penalties to and from the school system. With this agreement, First Nations will create the Anishinabek education system – a system developed by the Anishinabek to provide cultural and community educational programs and services for current and future generations of Anishinabek students. This includes promoting anishinaabe culture and language. After the ANEA comes into force, some of the education provisions of the Indian Act will no longer apply to the 23 NFPPs. The decision-making power over education will be in the hands of First Nations under the AES. Education means educational programs and services that are generally offered to students from kindergarten to the end of high school in Ontario. (educational) This initiative will enable participating First Nations to develop cultural and community educational programs for Anishinabek students. Under the agreement, parts of India`s education law no longer apply to participating First Nations. The decision-making power over education will be in the hands of First Nations under the new Anishinabek education system. The path to self-management negotiations between Canada and the Anishinabek Nation began in 1995. In 2002, the parties reached a non-binding agreement in principle, which identified the key elements of possible inclusion in a final agreement. During the negotiations, the Anishinabek Nation and the participating First Nations conducted extensive consultations and information exchange with members of the First Nation community. With the help of the Ontario government, contacts were also made with local school authorities.
Negotiations on the final agreement, the Anishinabek National Education Agreement, were concluded in 2015.