Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on April 17th, 2023

[Shannon Cornelsen]

Thank you for the question. Thank you, too, for speaking in your native language. I really appreciate that.

Language—if you don't know your language, you don't know your culture. Education has been something that tried to strip away all of that language knowledge from us, but as an indigenous post-secondary student I am learning my language because I am reclaiming that.

On teaching the rest of the parliamentarians, I would ask if they have actually read the TRC report, because quite honestly that is very impactful for everything that we are advocating for here today.

The post-secondary school system is not made for us, but we're still doing it. We are still surviving with it. I would ask for education on our history and why we have these systemic issues—for instance, the Indian Act and the different ways in which treaties were negotiated. Even just the basic information on Indian residential schools needs to be common knowledge. It needs to be something that we can all speak on.

These are difficult topics. Unfortunately, too many Canadians don't feel that it's their purview. They feel that it's in the history books. It's not. We're part of that. It is a living part of our lives right now. We all need to be aware of that, so I would say that we need more education on TRC so that we can move forward with the recommendations. Money isn't going to solve everything, but it's going to really help to build schools.

[Sylvia Davis]

That's a really good question. I know that I tend to ramble on, so I'm going to try to keep this short.

Honestly, one thing I struggle with is the fact that not enough people acknowledge the fact that the education first nations peoples had prior to contact was amazing, and then, to have it ripped away from us through residential schools.... The education I have, I value. However, I don't have my language. That is a result of so many systemic and colonial things that directly affect me: the foster care system in Manitoba and my mother as a residential school survivor. I was just not taught. I've had it around me. It is something that I do plan on reclaiming. When you said earlier that it's important for you to introduce yourself in your language, I wholeheartedly agree. This is why I did the same. Unfortunately, that's all I have.

I know that there was a study on language. We definitely need that to happen. I just am tired of the mindset that there is one right way to educate children. If we can move away from that and allow some self-determination in our communities, that would be amazing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jenica Atwin]

Chief St. Pierre is next.

[National Chief Elmer St. Pierre]

Something my colleagues have said is that we have to let people know what our ancestors went through. The government itself has to start reading some of the stuff like the TRC, UNDRIP and the Daniels case. Everything is in that.

What's the outcome, especially with UNDRIP? Canada signed on to that and is not doing what it's supposed to be doing under UNDRIP. Education was one of the main things. We can go through everything in there. Housing was another one, and different avenues for the aboriginal people who need it. UNDRIP made sure it was in there.

It's up to the government really. When you come to think of it, it's up to the government. Yes, we can sit here day after day and give everybody an example of what should be done, but if we take this back and nothing is done about it, it just reminds me of the murdered and missing women. It's been 40 years, and we're still sitting in the same spot. We're just spinning our wheels.

I'm hoping.... In five years' time, are we going to be sitting here again? I probably won't be, but are we going to be sitting here again and asking about our education system? I hope not, and I hope the panel here goes back to the government and says, “Listen, we've done this time and time again. Let's start acting on it. Let's not put it up on the shelf and say that we'll get to it. No. Let's do something about it.”

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jenica Atwin]

Thank you very much to our witnesses for joining us. I can assure you that your voices will absolutely be elevated. We take this very seriously.

I wanted to add that I have your document, “Reclaiming and Reimagining”, from CASA. If there are any pieces of this you'd like us to include in our report, please submit a written brief so that we can make sure to put them in.

Thank you very much to everyone again. I declare the meeting adjourned.