Paul Martin praises Justin Trudeau's commitment to First Nations communities

Former prime minister Paul Martin praised prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau for his pledge to invest $2.6 billion in the education system for First Nations communities.

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Martin made the remarks in Montreal on Wednesday, at the launch of a two-day symposium on education organized by the Cree School Board.

"First Nations are the youngest and fastest growing segment of our population. Their education is crucial if Canada is going to succeed. I know that Justin Trudeau understands that, and that's why he made the proposal that he did during the election campaign," Martin said.

The former prime minister founded Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative,an organization aimed at helping to boost thegraduation rates of aboriginal Canadians and to improve their education system.

"In today's world, the ability to succeed is totally dependent on the amount of education that you have, and that's going to [be the case] more and more because in the kind of world in which we live, more jobs are going to require increasing levels of education," he said.

"Those who live within the radius of the Cree School Board are very, very fortunate because you've got one of the best aboriginalschool systems in the country."

Martin said Trudeau's $2.6-billion investment would mean drastic improvements in education outcomes for First Nations communities.

"The expertise is there to make sure the investment is put to good use."

Martin also said he supports Trudeau's plan to run a deficit for the next three years, adding that as long as investments are made in the right places infrastructure, education and research and development the economy can grow stronger and future deficits can be avoided.