RE: Commitments to Maintain Education on Cultural Awareness and Issues Affecting Indigenous Peoples
- We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including:
- Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools.
- Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.
iii. Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.
- Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.
The Government of Canada is not the lead on this Call to Action, so it has been left up to the Council of Ministers of Education, Canadian Association of School Boards and the Provinces to make progress and create initiatives that will move this Call to Action forward.
In Alberta, and under the current UCP government, there has been a shameful regression in progress with Call to Action #63, particularly with the leak in late 2020 of proposed curriculum documents for Alberta students. Among other shocking setbacks, these documents showed removal of all references to residential schools and “equity”, deeming that stories surrounding residential schools would be too sad for younger students. This proposed change is contradictory when you realize these same children who would be learning about the enslavement of women and the assassination of Julius Caesar in ancient Rome, but not residential schools.
An online petition has been started, which argues that the proposed curriculum changes will undo the previous government’s attempts to further reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and Canada through inclusion in the curriculum. You can find the petition here: Petition · Prevent Alberta from eliminating residential school education from their K-4 curriculum · Change.org
Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange later stated that these changes were simply recommendations and that residential schools will continue to be taught in schools starting at a later grade.[1] This change would be a huge mistake because it would hinder the truth from being told, a truth that will allow younger generations to learn from the past.
News of the new curriculum received swift backlash on social media and the broader Indigenous community across the province and the rest of Canada condemning these changes. (You can read more of the draft curriculum here:New LearnAlberta)
The good news is that the proposed curriculum change is just a recommendation. LaGrange also has stated that working groups of subject-area experts including teachers will review the curriculum, with the elementary school curriculum being released to the public early this year. Our entire province is watching this development closely and many are prepared to fight the UCP moving forward with such backward policies.
Team ReconciliAction YEG will provide an update as soon as one is available. Learning about residential schools and developing cultural awareness of the true history of Canada is non-negotiable and is essential in combating the systemic racism and discrimination that is so prevalent in Canadian society. If reconciliation is the goal, education on the true history of Canada is a major component in achieving that goal.
The rest of the Canadian provinces are a work in progress. Each province has been asked to maintain a commitment to developing K-12 curriculum education opportunities for all students to further an understanding of Aboriginal peoples' Canadian history and identify appropriate teacher-training needs to address these issues.[2]
Since the release of the TRC 94 Calls to Action, the CMEC (Council of Ministers of Education, Canada) has increased its commitment to Indigenous awareness with its three-year strategic Education Plan (2019-2022). This plan focuses on four priority areas designed to provide a more coordinated, strategic approach for provincial and territorial ministers responsible for education to work together to improve Indigenous education outcomes for all learners.[3] The plan is available here. CMEC has also made strides in furthering its commitment by hosting various summits and symposiums since 2009 aimed at providing a forum for Indigenous educators and gathering non-Indigenous educators and researchers from across the country to improve indigenous education outcomes for all learners. This progress is very encouraging, but as seen in Alberta, there is a very long way to go. The pressure on the provinces cannot be let up for one moment, considering how easy it is to take significant steps backwards. Moving forward in Truth and Reconciliation must remain our focus as a nation.
Until Next Time
Team ReconciliAction YEG
[1] Allison Bench, “UCP under fire for K-4 curriculum plans that suggest leaving out residential schools” Global News (October 21, 2020) online: <https://globalnews.ca/news/7410812/alberta-curriculum-education-residential-schools/>.
