'Everybody else needs this education': Rally held against residential schools and Bill 64
Mike ArsenaultVideojournalist
@MArsenaultCTV Contact
WINNIPEG -- Close to 100 people gathered on the front steps of the Manitoba Legislative Building to protest against inaccuracies on residential school history and Bill 64.
The rally was planned after the new Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Alan Lagimodiere said in a Thursday press conference that the architects of residential schools thought they were doing the right thing.
Organizer of the rally and school teacher, Michael Kirkness said the topic of residential schools needs to be a bigger focus in the Manitoba curriculum.
“If I had it my way, for one (the history of residential schools) wouldn’t be something that is like an anecdote within the curriculum of social studies, it needs to be something that is mandatory,” said Kirkness.
Kirkness believes Lagimodiere’s comments about residential schools represent a failure of the Manitoba education system.
In light of those comments, he’s concerned about how much authority Bill 64 will give the PC government as it relates to education.
“There has to be some kind of understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and that revolves around education.”
Thursday, NDP Leader Wab Kinew interrupted Lagimodiere’s comments and corrected him regarding the history of residential schools.
Kinew said we have to call those comments out, and spoke about the need for education and understanding.
“Unless we have a true understanding of the situation, we’re not going to be able to move forward,” said Kinew. “If we have an MLA who does not understand the truth of residential schools, it’s going to be very hard to have a minister who can advance reconciliation.”
Lagimodiere has since apologized for his comments.
One of the many attendees at the rally was Wayne Stranger.
He was a teacher in the province, and said he saw a lack of representation for Indigenous people in the curriculum.
“What I saw in those 10 years was a lot of biases still in the system. About who we are as a people, where we come from, what our knowledge base was and is today.”
In a statement to CTV News, Minister of Education, Cliff Cullen said in part:
“Providing Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and teachings to all students remains our priority with a stronger presence and value on Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. Our Better Education Starts Today strategy commits to supporting reconciliation by enhancing all educators and students’ understanding of the Treaties, residential schools and Indigenous people’s past and present contributions.”
One commitment outlined in the Our Better Education Starts Today strategy is to increase the presence of Indigenous perspectives in the K to 12 curriculum.
Kirkness said most Indigenous people know about residential schools, but it’s something that all Canadians should know about.
“(Indigenous people) know full well about what happened, and what continues to transpire as a result of that," said Kirkness. "Everybody else needs this education. All the children that are in our system need to understand this.”
Manitoba officials' latest comments example of why Bill 64 should be scrapped, protesters say
Proposed bill would see elected school boards dissolved, replaced with appointed education authority
People who gathered in front of Manitoba's legislative building on Saturday say recent comments from the premier and the minister of Indigenous reconciliation about colonization and residential schools were "an attempt to revise history" — and one more example, they say, of why the province's proposed education overhaul should be struck down.
That proposed legislation, known as Bill 64, would see elected school boards dissolved and replaced with a provincial education authority with people appointed by the government — something that raises concerns for Chantal Shivanna Ramraj, who teaches grades 3 and 4.
"Based on the comments of this government, we can imagine who they will appoint," Ramraj said at the "no truth, no reconciliation" rally against residential school denial and Bill 64 put on by community group Protect Ed MB.
"And we can imagine what directives they will give teachers."
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister drew ire last week when, in response to the toppling of two statues of British queens on Canada Day, he made comments that were widely criticized as suggesting colonization was done with good intentions.
Those comments, which he later stood by, led to the resignation of his Indigenous relations minister, Eileen Clarke, who was later replaced by backbench MLA Alan Lagimodiere as the new minister of Indigenous reconciliation.
Lagimodiere immediately sparked criticism when he said the people who ran residential schools believed "they were doing the right thing" — a statement for which he issued an apology late Friday afternoon.
High school history teacher Michael Kirkness said many educators were deeply offended by those comments.
"We feel that it's our duty to not only teach … our history properly, but make sure that the powers that be aren't rewriting history to suit their own ends," said Kirkness, who is from Fox Lake Cree Nation and is the son and grandson of residential school survivors.
He called the officials' comments "completely tone deaf" and said he thinks Pallister should step down as premier.
"It's pretty clear that they don't really have any idea as to how to tackle these issues pertaining to the legacy of residential schools," Kirkness said.
Leaders 'need to self-educate'
While many at the rally were those who teach, others were there to learn.
Wanda Guenette and her friend Leora Almstrom said they've been working recently to educate themselves on the history of residential schools in Canada.
"We have been told lies for most of our education. And it's a bit daunting to me, because I actually at one point represented Canada," said Guenette, a retired Team Canada volleyball player.
Almstrom agreed.
"I feel, as a Métis, that I don't know enough. I am ignorant of the truth and I seek the truth. And whatever I can do to learn more, to be educated, I'm on that mission," she said.
They said they wish Manitoba's government officials would put in the same work.
"They need to self-educate. I mean, there are people here self-educating, people out there are self-educating, and our leaders are just spewing things that they think are right and it's not," Guenette said.
Fifteen-year-old Dominic Eidse said his English teacher spent time last year teaching his class about genocides.
The soon-to-be Grade 10 student said it had a huge effect on him, and he hopes those kinds of lessons — including lessons about Canada's own history — will become more common in schools.
"I think it's a very important thing to know to keep it from happening again," he said.
"There were so many things that I didn't know before this year."
Cliff Cullen, Manitoba's education minister, has previously suggested changes could be made to Bill 64 over the summer.
The legislation is expected to get a second reading in the legislature this fall before being subject to committee hearings. By the end of June, nearly 500 people had registered to speak at those hearings — the largest number on record, according to Legislative Assembly of Manitoba staff.
With files from Erin Brohman and Riley Laychuk
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