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All students and Delta staff will benefit from a deeper understanding of Canada’s history of colonization and its influence on current relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people when they embark on a journey towards reconciliation.
According to the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair Chair, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
“We are governed in our approach to reconciliation with this thought: the way that we have all been educated in this country…has brought us to where we are today—to a point where the psychological and emotional well-being of Aboriginal children has been harmed, and the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people has been seriously damaged… but education holds the key to making things better… if we agree on the objective of reconciliation, and agree to work together, the work we do today, will immeasurably strengthen the social fabric of Canada tomorrow.”
What is Reconciliation?
How do I begin my journey towards reconciliation?
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established in 2009 to examine the impact of Canada’s Indian Residential School system, and bear witness to the stories of survivors and those affected by these schools. The Commission released its final report in December, 2015.
According to Justice Murray Sinclair, chair of the TRC, education provides one of the greatest hopes for repairing cultural attitudes, redressing the legacy of Indian Residential Schools, and advancing the process of reconciliation.
The Calls to Action specifically related to ‘education for reconciliation’ include:
Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Indigenous peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for kindergarten to grade 12 students.
Provide the necessary funding to post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.
Establish senior-level positions in government, at the Assistant Deputy Minister level or higher, dedicated to Indigenous content in education.
The TRC also calls for the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Indigenous education issues, including:
Developing and implementing kindergarten to grade 12 curriculum and learning resources on Indigenous 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 Indigenous history.
Building student capacity for intercultural under-standing, empathy, and mutual respect.
Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.
Check out this Ally Tool Kit to continue your journey towards reconciliation.
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