The economic and social benefits of closing the aboriginal education gap in Saskatchewan would be worth 20 percent more than all sales of potash in the province’s history, says a report by University of Saskatchewan economist Eric Howe.
Howe discussed the data in his three-part report today at a news conference in Saskatoon.
“Closing Saskatchewan’s aboriginal education gap would have the direct effect of yielding $90 billion in benefits,” said Howe. “To put this into context, the potash industry is universally understood to be critical to the economy of our province. However, the total production of potash in Saskatchewan back to the start of the industry is … four-fifths of $90 billion,” he said.
Howe said the province’s aboriginal people are a greater resource than its potash.
“This is a resource that we have not developed,” he said.
By closing the gap, Howe said the province could be looking at a first-ever made-in-Saskatchewan economic boom with greater impact and permanence than the natural resource or technological booms of the past.
The size of the aboriginal education gap is large and will take decades to bridge. Closing it could produce a lasting economic boom for the province that’s more sustainable than mining or other economic activity, he said.
Howe was hired by the Gabriel Dumont Institute to conduct the research. The institute, which was incorporated in 1980, has trained more than 1,000 teachers and is one of the top two producers of the province’s practical nurses.
When individuals achieve higher levels of education, their incomes also rise on average. Howe points out that this is particularly true of Metis and First Nations people. To arrive at his figure of $90 billion, Howe combined personal monetary and other benefits, as well as various societal benefits.
For example, a Metis male without a high school diploma can expect to earn $547,000 over a lifetime. With a bachelor’s degree or higher, that figure triples to $1.67 million.
