Post-secondary institutions across the country have been looking to implement new policies, programs and events to support the work started by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2008.But there is concern about how effective these changes can be due to the long history of colonization and the oppression of Indigenous peoples.
The truth-telling process of the TRC acknowledged the injustices and deep wounds caused by Canada's Indian Residential School legacy. Four of the 94 calls to action released by the TRC speak directly to education, recommending that schools integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms and include curriculum about Aboriginal people in Canadian history.
In response, many post-secondary institutions have created Truth and Reconciliation Steering Committees to review how they are addressing these concerns and what steps they can take moving forward. The Canadian Association of University Teachers also released a Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory in order to encourage academics to acknowledge the First People's traditional territory that we work and live on. And the University of Winnipeg and Lakehead University have made Indigenous courses mandatory for graduation. [...]