Canadian post-secondary institutions are taking more steps to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into their courses. The scholars leading this change are shifting beyond just talking about reconciliation to taking action.
Kallie Drummond, a Métis student in her second year at the University of Prince Edward Island, hopes she can include Indigenous knowledge courses throughout her studies.
"Once I become a classroom teacher, [this knowledge] would be something I could just continue to widely spread and hopefully help future generations understand."Taking that same course — now a requirement for UPEI undergraduates — this fall has been eye-opening for first-year student Hailey Macintyre. She says she's learning history and topics — from origin stories of different First Nations to current conditions on reserves — that she's never been taught before.
The 2015 final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which examined experiences of survivors of Canada's residential schools and the lasting impact of the system, produced 94 calls to action, including specific recommendations about education He sees the recent discoveries of unmarked graves at multiple residential schools sites and stirring speeches given last year around the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as catalysts that "struck to the core of what we have to do."
The desire to build bridges as well as make law more appealing to Indigenous students are two drivers behind the University of Ottawa's new French-language Indigenous law certificate. "This program also offers people their dignity, because we know their past. We know the colonization process, that ceremonies were banned for many years…. In Quebec, there are many Indigenous communities that still speak their language and it's important to work with them," said Ottawa, a former grand chief of the Atikamekw Nation in Quebec.
Kistabish, who got his master's degree amid years "in the field" representing different bands in negotiations with forestry and mining companies, said there's long been a reliance on external lawyers who aren't always versed in Indigenous law.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
More than 300 new mines needed to meet electric vehicle demand, says analyst | CBC NewsMore than 300 new mines will be needed globally to meet growing demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, according to a new forecast from a mining analyst.
Read more »