Evidence of meeting #58 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was inuktitut.
A video is available from Parliament.
Student, As an Individual
It would be within the high school curriculum, so whatever is....
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
What I'm suggesting is that Alberta has taken the curriculum, and the indigenous have taken it and changed it to their culture and their language. That's what you need to do. You have the curriculum. Change the language. Get it done. You need it.
Liberal
Liberal
Marcus Powlowski Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Ella, you talked about the importance of teaching Inuktitut and teaching about Inuit culture in learning and for the success of indigenous Inuit students. Certainly, we have heard from a lot of other people on this committee about those things: the importance of language and of being on the land in terms of learning and also in terms of identity and mental health.
Also, if you want to be a good advocate for indigenous people, for Inuit people and for things that are of interest to the Inuit people, perhaps like Lori there.... She went through I think a lot of years of schooling, a lot of years of university. I'm assuming that she did an undergraduate degree and must have done pretty well in that, and she went to law school. Now she comes down here and probably is one of the best advocates for Inuit issues of anyone in Canada.
Similarly, if you want to help Inuit people or anyone else as a doctor or a nurse, again, it requires western learning. We have had other witnesses before this committee who, in terms of indigenous learning, talked about teaching kids to walk in two different pathways. Do you think that's the case?
In teaching, how do you balance those two things, those two worlds that you want people to live in? Perhaps amongst the students there are different desires in terms of how much you want to be in one world and how much you want to be in the other world. How do you balance those two things?
Student, As an Individual
Thank you for the question.
I believe that in Iqaluit specifically it's incredibly difficult to find that balance within Inuktitut traditional life and the Eurocentric life that comes with work or schooling and things like that.
From a personal perspective, my family and I have been sucked into the Eurocentric lifestyle in Iqaluit. Not a lot of Inuktitut was spoken at home. It depended on the education system for me and many of my friends and colleagues to learn Inuktitut within the school system and to try to find that balance, because we are in school five days a week for a majority of the year. Again, we tried to find that balance, but it just was not successful.
Liberal
Marcus Powlowski Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Do you think different kids, depending on the kind of person they are, find different ways of balancing those things in terms of how some people want to follow more indigenous ways and learn more about their own language, while others may not be that interested in it? Amongst your friends, do you find that, or do you find that there's a movement one way or the other?
Student, As an Individual
I believe lots of my peers have started thinking about their own self-actualization and their own identity, and there has been an uprising of practice in Inuit traditions and cultural activities, again to try to create that balance, especially in Eurocentric towns all across Nunavut. From my personal experience, yes, I believe my Inuit friends and peers, even if they aren't so familiar with their language or some parts of their culture, make an effort to learn and to experience it while they can.
Liberal
Marcus Powlowski Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Do you find that making those decisions is how to find a balance? How much is that the result of the input of your teachers and how much is that the result of the input of your family members, your parents, your grandparents? I'm just wondering who motivates you more when you make those choices.
Student, As an Individual
Thank you. That is a great question.
Within Inuksuk High School, there are lots of staff or teachers who aren't Inuk and don't speak Inuktitut fluently, but even if they aren't Inuk, they still try to advocate for us to find that balance, because they also understand that their workplace is not doing enough. Within their own time they try to advocate for that. Even in Aulajaaqtut, the core of that class is to understand Inuinnaqtun values.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jenica Atwin
Thank you, Mr. Powlowski.
Ms. Bérubé, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.
Sylvie Bérubé Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
My next questions are for the witnesses from Kiuna College.
Earlier, you briefly touched on the fact that students from across Quebec study at the college. Can you tell us about the recruitment process? How does the college go out and meet young people in the communities?
Director General, First Nations Education Council, Kiuna College
Would you like to answer this question, Mr. Arriola?
Clinical Supervisor, Kiuna College
Okay.
Thank you for the question, Ms. Bérubé.
Our recruitment efforts are ongoing. Of course, we need to consider that our pool of potential students is smaller than in the non-indigenous community. However, first nations people definitely put in a lot of effort travelling to the communities as often as possible to meet not only those in charge of education, but also guidance counsellors and teachers.
We're also in the process of setting up visits for the parents of potential students, who often play a decisive role in helping them choose their college. During these visits, we show them what we do and tell them about the services we provide. A large chunk of our communications activities is really dedicated to recruiting so we can reach potential students where they are, and that's often in the communities.
Director General, First Nations Education Council, Kiuna College
Ms. Bérubé, I would add that what we're seeing statistically speaking is that young people have a better chance of graduating and continuing their education if they study in a culturally appropriate environment such as what we offer at Kiuna College or in FNEC institutions.
Bloc
Sylvie Bérubé Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Thank you.
Do you also have special recruitment activities in remote communities?
Clinical Supervisor, Kiuna College
Yes, we have activities in all communities that might send students to us. The reality for all first nations students in Quebec is that they must leave their communities for higher education. So we're aware that they may experience uprooting as a loss of reference points, a loss of their sense of community and social support. Kiuna College's psychosocial services help mitigate these losses. We provide services to replace community support.
Of course, it's not easy to leave one's community, to leave one's people. However, we frame this change as a voyage of discovery during which the students will leave their community to become self-sufficient in their own way using our many types of services. As I said, our services go from psychotherapy to life skills groups in which they learn to cook, budget, pay for an apartment and so on.
Uprooting and homesickness can be hard, but at the same time, they can be an opportunity for students to become self-sufficient and develop various skills that will allow them to return to their communities as responsible, self-reliant adults and citizens.
Bloc
Sylvie Bérubé Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
You talked about services earlier. Which services—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jenica Atwin
Your time is up. I'm sorry.
Ms. Idlout has the floor for two minutes and a half.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I have one more question for Ella Estey. Before I start, tell Pat McDermott I say hi. He also taught my children. He is a good teacher.
I thank you for responding to every question. You have responded with truth. I just want to advise my panel members here that in Nunavut there are 25 communities, and the cultural life varies in every community. I thank you for exposing what it is like, although briefly.
I want you to answer freely. How would you advise the students here? What would you want us to understand? I want you to freely answer these questions and just speak your mind. Thank you.
Student, As an Individual
Thank you.
I would just love for the committee to understand, as Lori just said, that every community is different. Iqaluit especially is a very Eurocentric modern city compared to the rest of Nunavut. On top of that, with different dialects within the territories, people learn differently.
I encourage students all over Nunavut to put up with school and really to just value their education while they can. It is an incredible resource.
Qujannamiik. Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jenica Atwin
Excellent. Thank you so, so much. Thank you, Ms. Estey, for being with us in person. Thank you to our guests online as well. Your testimony has been incredibly powerful. It's certainly going to serve us well as we do our study recommendations.
We're just going to briefly suspend as we set up for the next panel. Thank you so much.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jenica Atwin
We're going to get started.
For our second panel today, we have, from Lac Seul First Nation, Sylvia Davis, director of education, in person. We also have, from the CASA national indigenous advocacy committee, Ms. Shannon Cornelsen, co-chair; and from the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, we have National Chief Elmer St. Pierre by video conference.
Thank you so much for joining us today. You'll each have an introductory five minutes. We will begin with Ms. Sylvia Davis.
You have five minutes.
Sylvia Davis Director of Education, Lac Seul First Nation
[Witness spoke in Ojibwa and provided the following text:]
Boozhoo, Sylvia Davis niindizinakaz. Obishikokaang nindoonji.
[English]
My name is Sylvia Davis. I am a member of Lac Seul First Nation, and Lac Seul is my home.
Madam Chair and honourable members of Parliament, thank you for inviting me to be here with you today.
As the education director in Lac Seul, I want to share with you some of the amazing work that we are doing in the education department. I'll also share some of our challenges. I will do my best to cover as much as I can with the time I've been given.
Our community is a road-accessible community located in northwestern Ontario. Lac Seul First Nation has three parts to it, three communities that we call Frenchman's Head, Kejick Bay and Whitefish Bay. Each community has an elementary school, and all three of our schools are currently exceeding capacity. We just completed a feasibility study and are currently working on a proposal to get a new school for our smallest community of Whitefish Bay. It is a very time-consuming process, which is challenging because we are in urgent need of the space.
At our three elementary schools, we strive to create a safe, inclusive and culturally responsive learning environment. We aim to include trauma-informed practices in all aspects of our school programming, recognizing that many of our students have experienced significant trauma in their lives. I also want to take the time to emphasize that when children and families experience trauma, survival is first and foremost and learning, unfortunately, becomes second. With what is known about adverse childhood experiences, it would be beneficial to increase funding to be able to raise awareness and promote healthy families that have the supports and culturally appropriate resources to raise securely attached children who then, in turn, could focus on their learning.
We offer a nutrition program, ensuring that our students have access to healthy, nourishing food throughout the day. Of course, we offer land-based activities that are part of every student's learning experience through our outdoor education program.
In addition, we as a community have worked hard to maintain a high teacher retention rate, which is critical for building strong relationships between teachers and students. It is critical that students are able to develop trust with teachers. This consistency allows our students to feel supported and connected to their school community, which can have a significant impact on their academic success. Lac Seul First Nation is very proud of this.
With regard to our secondary students, we must bus them to the public high school in Sioux Lookout, which is 30 minutes to an hour each way, depending on where the students live. Despite this logistical challenge, we have support staff in the school to provide our students with the resources and support they need to succeed. We also offer incentive trips to our students, recognizing the importance of providing opportunities for our youth to explore new experiences and build connections with their peers.
Several years ago, a graduation incentive trip was organized. It was a huge success, and it is something our students look forward to upon graduation. The funding for this is largely from our own community's fundraising efforts. Our high school graduation rates are very good.
Having said this, we are not seeing great interest in post-secondary education. Since taking this position in our community, I am doing what I can to personally encourage young people to pursue a post-secondary education. I have shared my own experiences of going back to school as a mature student with two children in tow. It is not easy being an indigenous person in post-secondary settings. It is not an easy decision to leave the community and support system to relocate to an urban setting, either.
One of the biggest barriers that our students face is racism. As indigenous people, we have faced systemic discrimination and marginalization for centuries, and this has a significant impact on our students' education and overall well-being. Systemic systems like racism cannot be fixed or solved by indigenous peoples alone.
I challenge you to be mindful that some of the issues creating barriers that prohibit indigenous students from realizing higher levels of academic success could be rooted in an inherent racist perspective by some educators. This could be manifested in a culture of low expectations for academic rigour and achievement. In Lac Seul, we strive to mentor teachers and staff to be culturally competent.
In addition to shaping culturally responsive teachers, it is equally important to ensure that our educational systems prioritize trauma-informed teaching practices.
In an ever-changing world of societal stressors—including but not limited to poverty, violence and discrimination—teachers are required to not only understand but acknowledge and address trauma in their students. By establishing these trauma-informed practices, teachers can effectively create a safe and nurturing learning environment that prioritizes the emotional and mental well-being of the students. Teachers can then build stronger connections with their students, ultimately resulting in a more supportive, inclusive and effective learning environment.
By providing an education system that prioritizes trauma-informed, culturally responsive teaching practices, we can aim to close achievement gaps and support student growth and success.
Meegwetch . Thank you for listening.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jenica Atwin
Meegwetch, Ms. Davis.
We will now go to Ms. Cornelsen.
You have five minutes.