Category: Reconciliation

Funding for Indigenous Students We call upon the federal government to provide adequate funding to end the backlog of First Nations students seeking a post-secondary education.2015, TRC Final Report Why It's Necessary As mentioned in an earlier post, Indigenous people are less likely to receive a Bachelor's degree than other students. This could be due to a variety of reasons, including inadequate funding for schools on reserves and for Indigenous students in K-12 education. This issues have been addressed in other Calls to Action, which are discussed here. The issues are all interconnected, and the Educational and Employment gaps that Indigenous people face can make it more difficult for them to afford post-secondary education. Our universities should be inclusive of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives and they should be accessible to…

Creating Equal Opportunities "We call upon the federal government to develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians"-TRC, 2015 Final Report We call upon the federal government to eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for First Nations children being educated on reserves and those First Nations children being educated off reserves.TRC, 2015 Final Report We call upon the federal government to prepare and publish annual reports comparing funding for the education of First Nations children on and off reserves, as well as educational and income attainments of Aboriginal peoples in Canada compared with non-Aboriginal people.TRC, 2015 Final Report These are Calls to Action in the Education Category, and the 7th, 8th, and 9th Calls to Action listed out of…

Repealing Section 43 "We call upon the Government of Canada to repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada"-TRC, 2015 Final Report This is the first Call to Action in the Education Category, and the 6th Call to Action listed out of all 94. As of August 2020, nothing has been done to start the process of meeting this Call to Action. Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada This section of the Canadian Criminal Code is often referred to as the 'Spanking Law'. It allows caregivers (including parents and educators) to use force on a child as a form of punishment or correction as long as "the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances" (Government of Canada). You can read this law here. It…

Calls to Action for Education: These Calls to Action include recommendations to change curriculum, fix funding gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and schools, and to teach in culturally appropriate ways. The goal of this area was to close the gaps in educational opportunities (and the associated outcomes) between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. It is important to fulfill our Treaty obligations, and part of that entails providing quality education to Indigenous students. Education is a fundamental human right, and it affects all aspects of life. The Calls to Action in the Education category are as follows: We call upon the Government of Canada to repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada.We call upon the federal government to develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and…