Never forget

Native women fight to include the history of residential schools in Quebec’s secondary-school curriculum

As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s National Event wound down in Montreal last month, thousands of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal participants returned to regular life with a much deeper understanding of the horror and multi-generational impact of Canada’s residential-school system. Now, Quebec Native Women Inc. (QNW) is campaigning to have this important piece of history developed as a key element of Quebec’s high school curriculum.

The QNW, a Montreal-based organization that has long been a strong advocate for the rights and safety of Aboriginal women in Quebec, launched a petition in April calling on Quebec to make this experience a mandatory subject of study. QNW Communications Officer Aurelie Arnaud says the commission strengthened public support for the initiative.

“When people had the chance to learn about the events that took place in residential schools, so many of them were shocked and wondered, ‘Why didn’t I know?’ Educating people across Quebec is an important part of fighting racism and building nation-to-nation relationships,” said Arnaud.

The petition also advocates involving Aboriginal organizations and experts to help develop this course of study.

Most students across the country receive no instruction about this dark chapter of Canadian history, including those in Quebec.

Tino Bordonaro, a pedagogical consultant with the English Montreal School Board, said that topics dealing with Aboriginal peoples in Canada are covered in six out of 16 sections of the province’s high-school curriculum. The material ranges from culture to economy and population data, but residential school history is completely ignored. Bordonaro says that although the topic is not mandatory for students to learn, teachers may choose to cover it in class. However, the extent of these non-mandated teachings is unknown.

One jurisdiction is taking the lead, however. The government of the Northwest Territories has already taken steps to adapt school curriculum to include the history of residential schools. Arnaud and the QNW hopes the Quebec government will follow this example.

“Students should be talking about the politics of assimilation, learning about what survivors were forced to endure, and acknowledging the intergenerational effects that the schools have caused,” she said. “It’s time for school history to go beyond the romantic vision of Aboriginal peoples and address the truth behind the colonial history of our society.”

Although many non-Aboriginal students may participate in classroom discussions that reference this history, it is usually mentioned only in a passing manner and not within any organized structure. Over four years, the TRC documented the testimony of survivors across the country, producing an invaluable record of first-hand accounts of this historic tragedy. This information could underpin a remarkable course of instruction that could have profound impacts on attitudes toward First Nations communities in Canada.

The petition garnered 4,411 signatures in Quebec before it was tabled by Québec solidaire MNA Amir Khadir in the Quebec National Assembly May 16.

“The suffering that the survivors have endured will never be completely alleviated, but we owe it to them to talk about these events and to recognize our responsibilities towards it,” said Khadir.

Both Arnaud and Khadir believe the initiative received a positive response, and will help the effort to build awareness of this painful but important part of our shared history.