Ontario makes Indigenous curriculum mandatory for grades one to three

Just a day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Ontario government has announced a change to the school curriculum, including a mandatory introduction to the residential school system. According to CP24, the Progressive Conservative government intends to “address the current gap” in the curriculum and its lack of education on Indigenous issues.

The Ontario government plans to roll out this new curriculum over the next two years, specifically to grades one through three. The social studies classes will now include education on The role of family and resilience in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and nations First Nations, Métis and Inuit historical and contemporary realities. It will also include education on Indigenous peoples’ interrelationship and connection with the land and the residential school system.

The province will also begin offering Inuktitut as a language of instruction.

“Like all Canadians, I have been saddened by the recovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools across this country. For more than 120 years, Indigenous children across the country were taken from their families by the government, many of whom would never have been reunited with their loved ones,” Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce told reporters at a news conference.

“We believe that all students, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are enriched by learning about the history, the culture, the perspectives and contributions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals and communities in Canada.”