Nova Scotia drops course that asked pupils to list benefits of residential schools
Responding to complaints from an Indigenous girl and her mother, the Nova Scotia government has scrapped a high school correspondence course that asked students to list the advantages of the residential school system.
Malaika Joudry-Martel and her mother shalan joudry -- a Mi'kmaq poet who writes her name with lowercase letters -- were reviewing the chapter on First Nations on Wednesday when the 15-year-old warned her mother that some of the content in the English course was racist.
One assignment asked students to list in chart form the benefits and disadvantages of being placed in a residential school.
"I just froze," joudry said in an interview Friday from her home on the Bear River First Nation.
"I thought, no, we removed this years ago from the Canadian curriculum .... That activity makes it seem as though there could be a balance, that there are advantages to that legacy."
The 170-page course offered other "passively racist" content, she said, including questions asking why poverty, alcoholism and unemployment are common among First Nations populations.
Given the recent reports from Kamloops, B.C., where Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation discovered what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the former residential school there, it's impossible to associate anything good with that system, joudry said.
"What is surprising is that in 2021, course material approved by the minister of education and sent to my daughter -- a Mi'kmaq student -- was encouraging her to talk about the advantages of these schools," she said.
"When I read those questions, it does not look like they are asking the students to be critical thinkers. What this is doing is reinforcing negative stereotypes."
On Wednesday, she posted excerpts from the course on her Facebook page. Education Minister Derek Mombourquette confirmed Friday that he called the family Thursday to apologize for the hurtful content, and he committed to reviewing all correspondence courses to ensure no similar material exists.
"I will apologize to the Mi'kmaq community and the larger Indigenous community across Canada," the minister said in an interview from Cape Breton, where his electoral district includes the Membertou First Nation.
"I have reached out to a number of Mi'kmaq leaders since this took place .... As minister of education, I'm reaffirming my commitment to ensure ... that our education system is truly reflective of our history and the culture of the Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia."
There were 74 other students in the course, which has been offered with the existing content since 2003, the minister said.
Mombourquette said he was devastated when he saw joudry's Facebook post.
"I really want to thank them for coming forward with this," he said. "It does not reflect what our curriculum is in Nova Scotia. We take the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission very seriously."
The commission's final report in 2015 documented the cruel history and legacy of the schools, concluding they were devoted to "cultural genocide." As well, the commission compiled a list of 4,100 students who died of disease or accident while attending one of the church-run, government-sponsored schools, which operated for 120 years.
In all, about 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children attended the schools. For those Indigenous families who resisted the system, children were forcibly taken by the RCMP. The 130 schools became infamous as places where many students suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
They were also known for overcrowding, poor sanitation, unhealthy food and menial labour. Harsh punishment was meted out for those who spoke their native language or took part in traditional rituals.
"There's still work to do to educate the educators," joudry said. "What's disturbing to my 15-year-old daughter is that there are other students who now have this misinformation running around in their minds in 2020, 2019 and so on."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.