The Government of Canada, the provinces and the territories have been mentioning this for a long time, particularly during the federal-provincial meetings I attended from 2000 until recently. Everyone agrees that history in general, with a capital “H”, needs to be reworked, with all its diversity and complexity.
The provinces and the province of Quebec are responsible for education, but I believe that the Government of Canada also has a role to play in indigenous issues and the Indian Act.
How is it that in 2020, in our elementary and secondary schools, as well as our universities, we are still feeding our leaders of today and tomorrow with a history that is not appropriate?
Indigenous young people are not the only ones asking us this; all young people are asking us. Young people from all different cultures, backgrounds and origins say they want to understand. For me, this is the strongest resource to slowly eliminate prejudice, ignorance, racism, discrimination through gaining an understanding. We would also restore pride to our nations, because we have erased too much of history, which is our cultural identity.