As of 2022, the Canadian federal curriculum has yet to mandate Indigenous education for Canadian youth. The lack of Indigenous culture, history, and perspectives in the Canadian curriculum has failed to adequately promote Indigenous learning and directly goes against the calls for actions in the TRC. For decades, Indigenous content in Canadian classrooms has been presented from a eurocentric lens. Whether it be the lack of teaching on the Canadian government’s assimilatory institutions or the homogenization of Indigenous traditions and lifestyles, the Canadian school system has failed to properly educate youth and include Indigenous voices in the educational system. While concrete changes have been implemented in certain parts of the country, there is still tremendous work to be done. The main issue is that to date, there is still no compulsory Indigenous education within the Canadian curriculum; here’s why this is more problematic than it may seem.
In 2015, The Truth and Reconciliation Report called for a more comprehensive commitment to include Indigenous education in Canadian schools. The calls for action included the creation of a mandatory age-appropriate curriculum on the history and legacy of residential schools for all students kindergarten-grade 12. The report also called for a fuller and meaningful inclusion of indigenous history, as well as necessary funding, resources and training to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into the classroom. While we have witnessed positive curriculum developments in BC, curriculum consultation failures in Ontario demonstrate that not enough has been done to implement the TRC calls for action.
By failing to provide a concrete federal framework, Indigenous education slips between the cracks, with the burden of teaching falling on individual teachers who are not properly supported or do not have adequate resources. This results in high school graduates being misinformed and having received different facts and explanations on the history of residential schools or settler-Indigenous relations. Education is one of the crucial ways to combat general ignorance, but it is especially crucial when combating the erasure of Indigenous knowledge and history. The Canadian school curriculum is a tool to combat the legacy of residential schools. The residential school assimilatory program was used as a tool to destroy Indigenous culture, language and identity. It is now up to the Canadian government to use the school system to integrate Indigenous stories and history into the everyday learning of non-Indigenous Canadians. By incorporating Indigenous knowledge and experiences, curriculum reforms are a necessary step for the Canadian government to take in its path towards reconciliation. The lack of knowledge of Indigenous history and culture contributes to the failure of settler-Indigenous relations, a relationship instilled in ignorance and misunderstanding that continuously dismisses Indigenous interests and needs.
In 2018 under Prime Minister Doug Ford, Ontario’s Ministry of Education cancelled curriculum re-writing sessions. The sessions were going to address and implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call for actions and instead, Indigenous educators and elders were told to go home. While the revisions did finally take place in 2019, Indigenous educational representatives have pointed out that the curriculum revisions did not adequately consult indigenous communities. The Ontario curriculum revisions failed to make certain classes mandatory and instead introduced electives, which directly went against the cries for a compulsory education on Indigenous history.
The lack of a minimum mandated Indigenous teaching has sent the message that this topic is not worthy in national and provincial curriculums. Those who claim that the inclusion of Indigenous elective courses is enough, fail to recognize electives cannot address the erasure of Indigeneity in Canada. Electives are not enough; meaningful reconciliation requires Indigenous content in all grades, for all students. While the history of residential schools has just become mandated, loopholes have allowed this “mandate” to be pushed aside. For example, elementary school teachers in Manitoba have access to residential school educational resources, however, many fail to use them since they are not embedded within the curriculum. In reality, the provision of Indigenous resources has become required, but there is no enforcement in regard to teaching students; teachers are free to use the resources at their disposal.
This is problematic because teachers often feel overwhelmed and unprepared to take on the task of teaching elementary school-aged children the history of residential schools, as well as addressing the legacy of colonialism and genocide. While some educators view teaching Indigenous history as a daunting task, it is necessary to educate Canadian students and prepare them to critically think about Canada’s history. Similarly, the number of different First Nation stories and perspectives needs to be viewed as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Students need to understand that complex and varied Indigenous realities reflect Indigenous communities Canada-wide. It is crucial that non-indigenous students Canada-wide learn about the specific local Nations’ cultural traditions, languages and practices, as well as the history of the land they get to learn and play on. Having Canadian students learn about both local and national contexts is much more meaningful than Indigenous learning being essentialized.
While the lack of reform is discouraging, some provinces have instituted hopeful curriculum changes. Through the formation of education enhancement agreements, school districts in BC have demonstrated proper consultation practices with local First Nations and implemented mandatory Indigenous learning workshops for students and educators. By working with The First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), BC school districts have provided tools to support educators while teaching Indigenous content. The implementation of new resources and Indigenous voices will meaningfully “address colonial legacies, ensuring that First Peoples’ cultures and perspectives are portrayed accurately and authentically, and provide opportunities for diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit voices in Canada to be recognized and celebrated” (FNESC website).
These new curriculum implementations in BC have provided hope for structural educational changes. The conceptual modifications within curriculums must be broadened and include embedding Indigenous perspectives and stories within settler-state historical accounts. This is necessary to deconstruct the use of educational resources that have not been made in collaboration with Indigenous communities. I also urge the usage of newer resources and insight from Indigenous creators and voices. This is a key step in showing the importance and necessity of Indigenous perspectives to counter the harmful narratives that have been historically pushed by the Canadian state. New curriculum reforms must include Indigenous content and ways of teaching from Indigenous educators. Furthermore, there needs to be a bigger emphasis on the inclusion of Indigenous resistance and resilience, which will combat the idea of the “vanishing native.” This is key because it humanizes Indigenous communities and reinforces that this minority is here to stay. It will also combat the settler-colonial narratives that have been historically pushed in textbooks that ignore differences in power dynamics between the Canadian state and local Nations. Representing colonialism as an ongoing event with lifelong repercussions, instead of framing it as a “dark memory of the past”, will provide the next generation of Canadian students with a wider perspective on current Indigenous realities in Canada.
Preparing Canadian students with a holistic understanding of Indigenous history, culture and resilience are absolutely necessary for the steps for meaningful reconciliation. This must happen at both the elementary and high school levels with the help of prepared and supported educators. There will be serious repercussions if students and educators are not receiving proper educational resources when teaching about Indigenous content. A failure to reform curriculum content will contribute to the continuation of ignorant and misinformed youth that do not have an adequate understanding of indigenous history and culture in Canada. These consequences also include the perpetuation of oppression and the continual land and resource dispossession of Indigenous minorities in Canada. Reforming the Canadian curriculum to mandate Indigenous history and perspectives will not only be a successful step in the implementation of the TRC calls for action, but it will also help raise the next generation of Canadian youths with a comprehensive understanding of Indigenous history and present-day relations.
Edited by Leslie Carmelotes
Charlotte is a third year student studying Political Science and International Development. She has been a Staff Writer for Catalyst for the past year. She is interested in Indigenous Issues, Canadian news, and topics involving feminism and media.