Reconciliation in Winnipeg
Mitch Bourbonniere has been educating Indigenous youth for 35 years. To Bourbonniere, kindness is the key to getting through to any child.
“We need to believe in them before they can even begin to believe in themselves,” Bourbonniere said in a keynote at the annual Aboriginal Circle of Educators Conference.
It’s been three years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission published 94 “calls to action” that urged all levels of government to work toward repairing the damage done by residential schools.
These calls to action range from Indigenizing education to equity for Aboriginal people in the legal system. Slowly but surely these calls to action are being incorporated into Canadian law.
On Feb. 5 a new Indigenous Languages Act was introduced. The bill promotes the learning and preservation of traditional Indigenous languages, and was introduced as a direct response to calls to action 13, 14, and 15.
In honour of the act Romeo Saganash, Quebec’s first Indigenous Member of Parliament, was able to deliver a speech to parliament entirely in Cree.
“Change is happening slowly,” said Saganash. “But we’re patient people. It's in our genes. I think we’ll get there.”
“We need to believe in them before they can even begin to believe in themselves,” Bourbonniere said in a keynote at the annual Aboriginal Circle of Educators Conference.
It’s been three years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission published 94 “calls to action” that urged all levels of government to work toward repairing the damage done by residential schools.
These calls to action range from Indigenizing education to equity for Aboriginal people in the legal system. Slowly but surely these calls to action are being incorporated into Canadian law.
On Feb. 5 a new Indigenous Languages Act was introduced. The bill promotes the learning and preservation of traditional Indigenous languages, and was introduced as a direct response to calls to action 13, 14, and 15.
In honour of the act Romeo Saganash, Quebec’s first Indigenous Member of Parliament, was able to deliver a speech to parliament entirely in Cree.
“Change is happening slowly,” said Saganash. “But we’re patient people. It's in our genes. I think we’ll get there.”
Carla Kematch is Red River College's new truth and reconciliation manager.
At Red River College, Carla Kematch was recently appointed as its first truth and reconciliation manager. The move is part of the Indigenous Education Blueprint: a commitment to advance Indigenous education in the province.
“Truth and Reconciliation and the 94 calls to action is a big endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Kematch.
Ryan Beardy, co-president of the Indigenous Students Association at Red River College, said the new appointment is a positive step, but there is still work to be done to address systemic racism in post-secondary institutions.
“It’s not just about Indigenization, it’s about de-colonization,” said Beardy. “When you come from a reserve system that is purposely underfunded, there is a gap and a huge learning curve.”
“Truth and Reconciliation and the 94 calls to action is a big endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Kematch.
Ryan Beardy, co-president of the Indigenous Students Association at Red River College, said the new appointment is a positive step, but there is still work to be done to address systemic racism in post-secondary institutions.
“It’s not just about Indigenization, it’s about de-colonization,” said Beardy. “When you come from a reserve system that is purposely underfunded, there is a gap and a huge learning curve.”
Videos
Indigenous Rights & Education
Mitch Bourbonniere and Romeo Saganash are two Indigenous community leaders working toward reconciliation.
Post-Secondary Indigenous Education
RRCTV spoke to a student who developed a Swampy Cree language app and the new truth and reconciliation manager at Red River College.