Latest news with #TruthandReconciliationCommissionofCanada
Calgary Herald
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Indigenous professor fearful Canadians think reconciliation finished after '10 most progressive years in Canadian history'
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and for Niigaan Sinclair, also marks a decade of progressivism never seen before in Canada. Article content 'I'm not telling you it's perfect. I'm not even telling you it's great. I'm telling you that it was the first steps any Canadian government's ever taken,' Sinclair said, after presenting at the 15th United Way Annual Connect Event as a keynote speaker. He pointed to former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government and legislation such as Bill C-15 that recognized the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 'Now there needs to be another 150 years of steps,' he said. Article content Article content Article content The University of Manitoba Indigenous Studies professor worried Canadians won't take those next steps. Article content Article content 'I think that Canadians have been taught to think of reconciliation as a fad, as something that just came and went, and we're somehow in a place that we're finished.' Article content Marla Kailly, an Indigenous parallel manager for United Way, presented a land acknowledgement prior to Sinclair's speech. She referenced a national public opinion poll asking whether Canadians feel they're living on stolen Indigenous land — and 'those living in Calgary, were the most vociferous urban centre rejecting that statement,' Kailly said. Article content In Calgary, 69 per cent of respondents answered no, they were not living on stolen land. Only 20 per cent said yes, and 11 per cent didn't answer. Article content 'They're still debating the facts, and the truth, or what I call 'the why?'' Sinclair said. 'We shouldn't be debating why, we should be talking about how.' Article content Article content Sinclair sees continued progress Article content While he would not describe Prime Minister Mark Carney as 'aggressively regressive,' he does believe that 'a progressive government is often followed — actually, I think it's always followed — by a regressive one.' Article content Sinclair believes the federal government is shifting focus to an aggressive resource agenda similar to the early days of Stephen Harper, the era in which Carney served as Governor of the Bank of Canada. Article content He expects that shift to be met with resistance, especially in the wake of the hastily passed Bill C-5. Article content 'There will be conflict from that, because you're trying to push something that haven't done the legwork necessary,' he said. 'There are people who are gearing up for resistance this summer.' Article content Sinclair is not left without hope, and emphasized the last decade as one of true — albeit slow — progress. This election cycle saw the highest number of Indigenous MPs in history, and by the end of Bill C-5's amendment cycle, conversation about Indigenous peoples had become a centre point of discussion. The Conservative party's costed platform included a page on economic reconciliation, when 'Stephen Harper would have never even had a page,' Sinclair said. Article content More than anywhere, Sinclair's barometer on the state of reconciliation is in the school system. Article content 'I go listen on the playground after I've given a talk,' he said. 'I listen to what the kids are talking about. They're talking about reconciliation on the playground. If they're talking about it on the playground, they're going to talk about it at the voting booth. They're going to talk about it in the workplace. They're going to talk about it in their marriage, raising their children. And that's when you can't turn it off.' Article content
Vancouver Sun
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Events across the country on Saturday will mark Indigenous Peoples Day
OTTAWA — Hundreds of events are planned across the country on Saturday to mark Indigenous Peoples Day. First observed in 1996, Indigenous Peoples Day is meant to recognize First Nations, Inuit and Metis cultures and traditions. Prime Minister Mark Carney will take part in a closed event in Ottawa to mark the day. 'Supporting Indigenous communities, advancing self-determination, implementing treaties, and creating generational wealth and prosperity are central to our commitment to advancing reconciliation,' Carney said in a statement. 'The government will work in full partnership with Indigenous Peoples — advancing shared priorities such as health care, food security, housing, education, economic prosperity, conservation, climate action, and emergency management to build a better future.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Early Saturday, Toronto mayor Olivia Chow appeared at Nathan Phillips Square to participate in a sunrise ceremony, an Anishinaabe tradition. The office of Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said she will host youth at Rideau Hall in Ottawa to mark the day by crafting paper hearts with 'messages of reconciliation, hope and commitment.' The Governor General will plant the hearts in Rideau Hall's 'heart garden,' which honours Indigenous people who died in residential schools, along with survivors. 'Each heart is a symbol of our collective responsibility to listen to and carry forward their stories — of pain and disappointment, strength and courage — and to commit to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action,' Simon's office said. This year's Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa. The festival features a competition powwow, traditional foods and teaching sessions. Starting Saturday, the Forks in Winnipeg will host Many Nations, One Heartbeat, an 11-day festival of Indigenous performances, games, fashion and crafts. Organizers say the festival will honour 'the stories, strength, and resilience of Indigenous communities, especially in this moment of significant displacement due to Manitoba's wildfire.' And in Toronto, the Na-Me-Res Traditional Powwow and Indigenous Arts Festival will take place Saturday at the Fort York National Historic Site, featuring traditional dances, live concerts and a food market. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Winnipeg Free Press
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Events are being held across the country Saturday to mark Indigenous Peoples Day
OTTAWA – Hundreds of events are planned across the country Saturday to mark Indigenous Peoples Day. First observed in 1996, Indigenous Peoples Day is meant to recognize First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures and traditions. Prime Minister Mark Carney will take part in a closed event to mark the day. The office of Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said she will host youth at Rideau Hall in Ottawa to mark the day by crafting paper hearts with 'messages of reconciliation, hope and commitment.' The Governor General will plant the hearts in Rideau Hall's 'heart garden,' which honours Indigenous people who died in residential schools, along with survivors. 'Each heart is a symbol of our collective responsibility to listen to and carry forward their stories — of pain and disappointment, strength and courage — and to commit to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action,' Simon's office said. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. This year's Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa. The festival features a competition powwow, traditional foods and teaching sessions. Starting Saturday, the Forks in Winnipeg will host Many Nations, One Heartbeat, an 11-day festival of Indigenous performances, games, fashion and crafts. Organizers say the festival will honour 'the stories, strength, and resilience of Indigenous communities, especially in this moment of significant displacement due to Manitoba's wildfire.' And in Toronto, the Na-Me-Res Traditional Powwow and Indigenous Arts Festival will take place Saturday at the Fort York National Historic Site, featuring traditional dances, live concerts and a food market. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.
Cision Canada
19-06-2025
- General
- Cision Canada
Media advisory - Governor General to host youth at Rideau Hall to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day
OTTAWA, ON, June 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, will engage in an interactive art activity with youth to honour National Indigenous Peoples Day and launch this season's Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams heart garden at Rideau Hall. The Governor General and youth will create paper hearts with their own messages of reconciliation, hope and commitment, and will plant them in the heart garden on the grounds of Rideau Hall. The heart garden remembers the First Nations, Inuit and Métis children who died in the Canadian residential school system, and those who survived. Each heart is a symbol of our collective responsibility to listen to and carry forward their stories—of pain and disappointment, strength and courage—and to commit to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action. Learn more about the heart garden. Notes for media:
Canada Standard
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Decolonizing history and social studies curricula has a long way to go in Canada
In June 2015, 10 years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) called for curriculum on Indigenous histories and contemporary contributions to Canada to foster intercultural understanding, empathy and respect. This was the focus of calls to action Nos. 62 to 65. As education scholars, we are part of a project supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council called Thinking Historically for Canada's Future. This project involves researchers, educators and partner organizations from across Canada, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous team members. As part of this work, we examined Canadian history and social studies curricula in elementary, middle and secondary schools with the aim of understanding how they address - and may better address in future - the need for decolonization. We found that although steps have been made towards decolonizing history curricula in Canada, there is still a long way to go. These curricula must do far more to challenge dominant narratives, prompt students to critically reflect on their identities and value Indigenous world views. Read more: Looking for Indigenous history? 'Shekon Neechie' website recentres Indigenous perspectives As white settler scholars and educators, we acknowledge our responsibility to unlearn colonial ways of being and learn how to further decolonization in Canada. In approaching this study, we began by listening to Indigenous scholars, such as Cree scholar Dwayne Donald. Donald and other scholars call for reimagining curriculum through unlearning colonialism and renewing relationships. Read more: Leaked Alberta school curriculum in urgent need of guidance from Indigenous wisdom teachings The late education scholar Michael Marker, a member of the Lummi Nation, suggested that in history education, renewing relations involves learning from Indigenous understandings of the past, situated within local meanings of time and place. Curricula across Canada have been updated in the last 10 years to include teaching about treaties, Indian Residential Schools and the cultures, perspectives and experiences of Indigenous Peoples over time. Thanks primarily to the work of Indigenous scholars and educators, including Donald, Marker, Mi'kmaw educator Marie Battiste, Anishinaabe scholar Nicole Bell and others, some public school educators are attentive to land-based learning and the importance of oral history. But these teachings are, for the most part, ad hoc and not supported by provincial curriculum mandates. Our study revealed that most provincial history curricula are still focused on colonial narratives that centre settler histories and emphasize "progress" over time. Curricula are largely inattentive to critical understandings of white settler power and to Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Notably, we do not include the three territories in this statement. Most of the territorial history curricula have been co-created with local Indigenous communities, and stand out with regard to decolonization. For example, in Nunavut's Grade 5 curriculum, the importance of local knowledge tied to the land is highlighted throughout. There are learning expectations related to survival skills and ecological knowledge. Members of our broader research team are dedicated to analyzing curricula in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Their work may offer approaches to be adapted for other educational contexts. In contrast, we found that provincial curricula often reinforce dominant historical narratives, especially surrounding colonialism. Some documents use the term "the history," implying a singular history of Canada (for example, Manitoba's Grade 6 curriculum). Historical content, examples and guiding questions are predominantly written from a Euro-western perspective, while minimizing racialized identities and community histories. In particular, curricula often ignore illustrations of Indigenous agency and experience. Read more: Moving beyond Black history month towards inclusive histories in Quebec secondary schools Most curricula primarily situate Indigenous Peoples in the past, without substantial consideration for present-day implications of settler colonialism, as well as Indigenous agency and experiences today. For example, in British Columbia's Grade 4 curriculum, there are lengthy discussions of the harms of colonization in the past. Yet, there is no mention of the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism or the need to engage in decolonization today. To disrupt these dominant narratives, we recommend that history curricula should critically discuss the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism, while centring stories of Indigenous resistance and survival over time. There are also missed opportunities within history curricula when it comes to critical discussions around identity, including systemic marginalization or privilege. Who we are informs how we understand history, but curricula largely does not prompt student reflection in these ways, including around treaty relationships. In Saskatchewan's Grade 5 curriculum, students are expected to explain what treaties are and "affirm that all Saskatchewan residents are Treaty people." However, there is no mention of students considering how their own backgrounds, identities, values and experiences shape their understandings of and responsibilities for treaties. Yet these discussions are essential for engaging students in considering the legacies of colonialism and how they may act to redress those legacies. A key learning outcome could involve students becoming more aware of how their own personal and community histories inform their historical understandings and reconciliation commitments. History curricula generally ignore Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Most curricula are inattentive to Indigenous oral traditions, conceptions of time, local contexts and relationships with other species and the environment. Instead, these documents reflect Euro-western, settler colonial worldviews and educational values. For example, history curricula overwhelmingly ignore local meanings of time and place, while failing to encourage opportunities for land-based and experiential learning. In Prince Edward Island's Grade 12 curriculum, the documents expect that students will "demonstrate an understanding of the interactions among people, places and the environment." While this may seem promising, environmental histories in this curriculum and others uphold capitalist world views by focusing on resource extraction and economic progress. To disrupt settler colonial relationships with the land and empower youth as environmental stewards, we support reframing history curricula in ways that are attentive to Indigenous ways of knowing the past and relations with other people, beings and the land. Schools have been, and continue to be, harmful spaces for many Indigenous communities, and various aspects of our schooling beg questions about how well-served both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students are for meeting current and future challenges. If, as a society, we accept the premise that the transformation of current curricular expectations is possible for schools, then more substantive engagement is required in working toward decolonization. Decolonizing curricula is a long-term, challenging process that requires consideration of many things: who sits on curriculum writing teams; the resources allocated to supporting curricular reform; broader school or board-wide policies; and ways of teaching that support reconciliation. We encourage history curriculum writing teams to take up these recommendations as part of a broader commitment to reconciliation. While not exhaustive, recommendations for curricular reform are a critical step in the future redesign of history curricula. The goal is a history education committed to listening and learning from Indigenous communities to build more inclusive national stories of the past, and into the future.
