statue is not going to educate students about the justifiable grievances Indigenous Peoples currently have about treaties, access to clean water and racist policies that continue to im- pact Indigenous Peoples today. We all need to learn about the policies underlying residen- tial schools, their intent and the impact they had and continue to have on Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across Canada. The Indian Trust Fund is one such example. When treaties were signed, resources extracted from these lands generated large revenues, creating jobs in primary and secondary economies. Oil and gas are an example. A share of the revenues from these resources is then placed in a trust for Indigenous people in each treaty. This is to provide support for each commu- nity to pay for education, health care, social services, utilities (clean drinking water) as a few examples. Currently, the trust stands at three billion dollars but is controlled and ad- ministered by the federal government which decides how much to distribute to Indig- enous communities. If Indigenous commu- nities were afforded funds necessary to help, for example, survivors and their families, the statistics might look very different. The apology offered to Indigenous people


on June 12, 2008 noted the federal govern- ment’s fiduciary responsibility under the Indian Act in the development of residential schools. The Indian Act was part of a long his- tory of assimilation policies that intended to terminate the cultural, social, economic and political distinctiveness of Indigenous Peo- ples. It was used to override the authority of the treaties. A comprehensive study of treaty history and the Indian Act must take place in Canadian classrooms. Pope Francis has agreed to meet with In-


digenous leaders, residential school survivors and Catholic clergy in Canada in November 2021. Hopefully this meeting will take place. The Catholic Church owes the Indigenous people of Canada an apology for its role in the development and operation of residential schools and the impact it had on children and their families. But apologies are not enough. All those involved, including governments, must release any information they have about what happened to the children who were forced to attend and then perished in these schools. Their families, communities and all of Canada have a right to know the truth. More than 5,000 children were the victims of the atrocities committed in these schools. Emma Lafortte is just one. n


Beverly Fiddler is a member of the Durham Teacher Local.


RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ABOUT RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS, THE INDIAN ACT AND TREATIES


RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS Project of Heart – projectofheart.ca/


100 Years of Loss: The Residential School System in Canada legacyofhope.ca/100-years-of-loss-5/ First Nations Caring Society – fncaringsociety.com/


When We Were Alone by David Robertson, illustrated by Julie Flett - HighWater Press 2016


The Secret Path by Gord Downie, illustrated by Jeff Lemire, Simon & Schuster Canada 2016


As Long as the Rivers Flow by Larry Loyie and Constance Brissenden, Illustrated by Heather Holmlund - Anansi Press 2005


Shi-shi-etko by Nicola I. Campbell and illustrated by Kim Lafave - Groundwood Books 2005


Fatty Legs by Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton and Christy Jordan-Fenton and illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes and Foreword by Debbie Reese - Annick Press -2010


The Orange Shirt Story by Phyllis Webstad, and illustrated by Brock Nicol - Medicine Wheel Education 2018 Good for Nothing by Michel Noel - House of Anansi Press 2004


Sugar Falls by David A Robertson, illustrated by Scott B Henderson – HighWater Press 2012


TREATIES We are all Treaty People by Maurice Switzer, illustrated by Charley Herbert, 2017


Treaties in Canada Education Guide and Worksheets – thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/ en/studyguide/treaties-in-canada-learning-guide-and-worksheets On the Path of Elders – pathoftheelders.com/-2009 Ontario Indigenous Education Strategy – edu.gov.on.ca/eng/indigenous/


INDIAN ACT CBC – Teaching Guide: The Indian Act


cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/teaching-guide-the-indian-act-1.5290134 drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a_inMC-AJ8nsoCoY8uQOxFy39kYMRD14 by Leah-Simone Bowen & Falen Johnson of 'The Secret Life of Canada'


First Nation Metis and Inuit Education Resource: Engaging Learners through Play by Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario 2017


Aboriginal History and Realities in Canada (1-8) by Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario 2008


ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 23


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