N.L. school material on immigration 'very concerning' and needs review, says minister

An empty classroom is seen in this undated file photo.

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -

A high school social studies course taught in Newfoundland and Labrador risks leaving immigrant students feeling humiliated and unwelcome, says a professor at Memorial University in St. John's.

The Grade 9 course about Canadian identity was developed in 2011 and includes harmful racist myths and misinformation about immigrants and refugees, said Sobia Shaikh, co-chair of the Anti-Racism Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador. CBC News reported on the material in the course textbook on Monday.

For example, the course curriculum linked from the provincial Department of Education's website says students should discuss the "brain drain" issue, including the "disturbing trend that Canadian emigrants to the United States are more than twice as likely to hold a university degree than immigrants that are entering Canada."

Course notes posted online listing arguments for and against immigration include claims that immigrants take jobs away from Canadians and that admitting more refugees could encourage "people smugglers."

"I'm racialized, I'm brown, and I would crawl in my skin," Shaikh said in an interview. "It would internalize the kind of racist ideas and stereotypes and reinforce those for all people. But for racialized people, it's particularly troubling it would be humiliating, and you'd want to distance yourself."

Some of the ideas presented in the curriculum echo those underpinning white supremacist movements, she added.

Shaikh said officials need to consult with experts and develop an anti-racist curriculum framework and then try to rectify the harm caused by the material, which has been taught since 2011.

"I think that there has to be an actual campaign by the government and by the Department of Education," she said. "They need to apologize, to take accountability to say, 'Hey, look, this was a mistake. We have unfactual things in our curriculum."'

With a rapidly aging population and steady outmigration, Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province projected to see a steady decline in population over the next two decades, according to Statistics Canada. That means immigration is key to the province's future, said Tony Fang, an economics professor at Memorial University who has studied the experiences of new Canadians working and trying to find work in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Immigration should be discussed in schools, but not like this, Fang said in an interview.

"The immigrants who are coming here based on certain criteria like the point system … we have evidence suggesting these immigrants have a high level of education -- that's pretty clear," he said in response to the "brain drain" topic. It makes "no sense" to frame the issue that way, and there is no data in the curriculum or elsewhere to back up the claims in that framing, Fang said.

"This province, Atlantic Canada included, has always been characterized as a friendly community," he said. "But that's not equal to welcoming." Fang said the province needs newcomers and a robust strategy to retain them that should include anti-racism policies and training, developed in consultation with experts. That training and consultation should clearly extend to the school system, he said.

Education Minister Tom Osborne said he's "very concerned" about the curriculum, adding the idea that immigrants take jobs is especially untrue in Newfoundland and Labrador, where new Canadians have established many successful businesses that have created employment for many people in the province.

No student should ever feel their belonging in a classroom or in the province is up for debate, he said in an interview.

Osborne said he's open to any discussion about how to ensure the curriculum is factual and reflects the province's values, adding that any curriculum looking at immigration must take into account the province's strategies to welcome and retain newcomers. The latest provincial budget includes a goal of welcoming 5,100 newcomers a year by 2026.

"Our population is enriched by (immigration), our economy is enriched by it and cultural experiences in the province are enriched by it," he said.

The course, however, will continue to be delivered -- at least for the remainder of the school year, Osborne said. It's "logistically not possible," he explained, to halt it with the school year half over, adding that his department is looking at options to change it.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 18, 2022.