Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
The Truth and Reconcilation Commission (TRC) provided an opportunity for those directly or indirectly affected by the Indian Residential Schools system to share their stories and experiences. The TRC Calls to Action (2015) outline the commission’s recommendations for redressing residential schools and advancing reconciliation across Canada.
Calls to Action for Postsecondary Education
As a student-led, policy driven organization, Students Nova Scotia has a committment to represent the needs of all postsecondary students across the province. In doing so, we must acknowledge that students are a diverse group of people with unique needs, particularly for those who are underrepresented in postsecondary education. As we work to build relationships and further our commitment to decolonializing postsecondary education through meaningful policy change, we also serve to educate the broader student community on the Calls to Action outlined in the TRC Final Report.
The following are the list of postsecondary related TRCC Calls to Action related to postsecondary education:
11. We call upon the federal government to provide adequate funding to end the backlog of First Nations students seeking a post-secondary education.
16. We call upon post-secondary institutions to create university and college degree and diploma programs in Aboriginal languages.
62. We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to:
Provide the necessary funding to post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.
Provide the necessary funding to Aboriginal schools to utilize Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods in classrooms.
Establish senior-level positions in government at the assistant deputy minister level or higher dedicated to Aboriginal content in education.
63. We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including:
Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.
Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.
Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.
64. We call upon all levels of government that provide public funds to denominational schools to require such schools to provide an education on comparative religious studies, which must include a segment on Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and practices developed in collaboration with Aboriginal Elders.
86. We call upon Canadian journalism programs and media schools to require education for all students on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal– Crown relations.
To learn more about the Truth and Reconcilation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, click here.