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Monday Mar 28, 2016
Conversations That Matter - Ep 78 - National Chief Perry Bellegarde
Monday Mar 28, 2016
Monday Mar 28, 2016
Episode 78
National Chief Perry Bellegarde
Closing the Gap
Conversations That Matter features Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde on the benefits to Canada when we close the gap in education, opportunity and living standards of indigenous people’s. According to the UN Canada is sixth in the world on the Human Development Index. Using the same criteria, First Nations alone rank 63rd.”
Bellegarde points out the gap also, “represents, the disproportionate number of First Nations people in jails, the high youth suicide rate, the missing and murdered indigenous women, the 40,000 aboriginal children in foster care, the cap on education funding, the disparity in education funding, the high rates of tuberculosis and diabetes and aids, all these things it represents, the negative stats. So we've gotta close that.”
Chief Bellegarde acknowledges the road from here to there will be bumpy and there will be many challenges, however, he says when we close the gap the benefits will be to all, “if you invest in the indigenous peoples, by 2025 we would add 400 billion dollars to Canada’s GDP in a positive way, and we would reduce social spending to less than 200 million dollars.”
Conversations That Matter is a partner program with the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for these important and engaging Conversations shaping our future.
Please become a subscriber and support the production of the program at www.conversationsthatmatter.tv
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