NUNAVUT
The Oct. 31 deadline for a personal education credit for former residential school students will likely be extended, if all parties to the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement approve the change.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister Bernard Valcourt told the House of Commons Oct. 30 he would work with First Nations and Inuit to extend the deadline for residential school survivors to apply for a personal education credit. - NNSL file photo

NWT MP Dennis Bevington called out Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Bernard Valcourt on the issue in the House of Commons Oct. 30. "The deadline for the Indian residential school personal credit for educational programs and services is tomorrow, yet out of around 80,000 former survivors who are eligible, only 10,000 have applied. This is pushing leaders like Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus to ask the government for an extension of the deadline," Bevinmgton said.

"Will the minister heed this call?"

The credit program, available to all common experience payment recipients, was announced in January with short timelines. Nunavut News/North reported in October that many claimants were unaware, confused or not able to claim the credit on time.

There are approximately 2,000 Inuit eligible for the credit in Nunavut.

Shannon Payne, NWT personal credits liaison for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), said that of the 10,000 who did apply, only 771 cheques have been sent out so far. The applications are so backlogged that people who applied for their credits as far back as February have yet to receive them, she added.

Lawyer Steve Cooper, who represents about 2,500 former residential school students and has been part of the agreement process since the beginning about 10 years ago, called the program a "colossal mess."

"This will compete with the absolute worst programs ever designed in any democratic state in the world. ... I am just appalled at how horrific this is," he said.

Cooper noted two documents totaling 28 pages of highly technical information, zero advertising, a website that didn't function and documents mailed to five-year-old addresses among the factors that contribute to his disparaging assessment of the credit program.

After telling fellow parliamentarians that reminder notices were mailed to close to 75,000 of 80,000 recipients and an e-mail and social media campaign had been carried out to inform them, Valcourt added, "Yes, indeed, we are going to work with the partners in the agreement to try to get an extension."

Valcourt's office explained that terms and conditions governing the administration of personal credits - including application deadlines - were negotiated by Canada, the Assembly of First Nations and Inuit representatives. On Oct. 31, 2013, the terms and conditions were approved by the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

AANDC would not disclose how much remains in the personal education credit trust fund, but estimates range from $40 million to $200 million. Any funds remaining past deadline will go to an AFN education fund and the Inuvialuit Education Fund.

"What he (Valcourt) has basically done is reached out to all the parties to the program, the First Nations groups as well as the Inuit . the parties involved in designing this program, to see if we can extend the timeline to accommodate people who have not filled out their forms," said Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq.

She adds if aboriginal groups and Inuit agree to the extension then "we'll be able to announce this extension."

But timelines were only one of many problems with the program and its delivery. Although one option allowed eligible recipients to pass the education credit on their children, many do not have children that can use it. And many were not aware of options outside educational institutions, such as pooling credits for community-based or on-the-land programming.

Asked if she was aware of the complications surfacing about the program, Aglukkaq, a former residential school student, said she received her notice about 10 months ago.

"So I understood there was a deadline. I read the letter. I made my decisions on what options I wanted."

She passed the credit on to her son. As for other options, she points to the phone numbers on the forms people could call to ask questions.

"But different people read different things differently and if there's concerns I would really ask my constituents to reach out to my office and I would be happy to assist in any way I can," said Aglukkaq.

-- with files from Cody Punter