Call to Action 7

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Author Sneha Shaji explores Call to Action 7.

Introduction

I am Sneha Shaji who is from a small village in India. Right from my childhood, I dreamt of pursuing my higher education in Canada. This constant desire was the reason for me to take DSW at Cambrian  College. I come a place called Kerala which is known as “God’s own country” due to is natural beauty.

When I selected Truth and Reconciliation as my elective course, I did not have much idea about it. However, I realized that I was enjoying the content of each week. I was eager to know about the stories of indigenous people, their struggles and steps taken to ensure their rights.

Residential Schools in Canada

Residential schools were started in Canada with the intention of taking indigenous children away from their parents, indigenous tradition and cultural practices. It was established by the Christian churches and Canadian government wit the aim of assimilating and accommodating indigenous children into Canadian society. Indigenous people who were mainly in remote areas were forced to send their children to residential schools which were far away. These schools were administered by Christian churches and the fund to run them was from government’s department of Indian affairs. Majority of them were run by churches of Roman Catholics.

Life at Residential schools was miserable. The survivors still shed tears when they talk about their life in these schools.  Indigenous children were not allowed to follow their cultural practices, traditions and beliefs. Also, they were not permitted to speak in their native language. They were forced to speak in either English or French. They were even punished for speaking in their language and for following their traditions. Even parents were asked to speak to their children in English in the presence of priests or nuns. Verbal communication was not allowed for parents who did not know English.

Sexual assault and physical abuse were common in Residential schools. Students were abused sexually, emotionally and physically by the school officials and older students. No action was taken against older students for this. Children also did forced labor in Residential schools. Food was not given properly to the children. Children were compelled to eat the food made and they were even forced to eat their vomit. Even though the school officials were having good food, it was not offered to the students. Diseases were more common in the schools due to lack of cleanliness and proper medical care. Overcrowding was another major problem in schools. Children were accommodated beyond the capacity. Indigenous children were not permitted to wear their traditional clothes.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Calls to Action

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in the year 2008 with the purpose of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was to reveal the truth about the church run Residential schools and the hardships suffered by indigenous children in these schools. Another intention of the Commission was to provide compensation to the residential school survivors and ensure equality to indigenous people in the future.

In order to address the legacy of Residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission put forward 94 calls to action.

Call to Action 7

We call upon the federal government to develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. 

Why I Chose it?

Indigenous children experienced discrimination at residential schools. The education in residential schools had an institutional or European approach. Since children did forced labor, this affected their academics. They were mainly educated with the aim of inculcating social skills and vocational training to be a part of the Canadian people. The teachers in residential schools were not qualified or properly trained. Textbooks were sometimes offered only to nonindigenous children.

When I read the 7^th call to action, all these miseries of the indigenous children came to my mind. Thus, I felt that the right to education and getting employed which were not enjoyed by them in the past should be ensured to them now. They should also be considered equally in the society and given equal employment and educational opportunities. Education is the fundamental right of every citizen. Hence, I firmly believe that aboriginal and non aboriginals should be provided equal chances for studying and funding to obtain education. Moreover, when there is discrimination in providing education to indigenous children, it can make them less qualifies for jobs.

All these thoughts which arouse in my mind as I read the call to action 7 motivated me to choose it.

Progress on Call to Action 7

The call to Action 7 is currently in a state of “In progress – projects underway”. It means relevant parties are still trying to implement the call by setting a timeline and collecting more funds.

I think that the lack of enough funds can be a major reason for the delay in implementing the call to action. Also, I feel that this goal cannot be achieved in a short period and requires more time.

Celebrating the Good Work

Budget 2016 in Canada invested around $2.6 billion on the primary and secondary education of the Aboriginals. On April 1, 2019 Indigenous Services Canada together with First Nations Leaders and other expert ones implemented a policy in which funds are provided to students who attend the First Nations School.

$969.4 million was allocated for the improving the educational facilities of the indigenous children in 2016 budget.

$327.5 million was allocated for the development of education strategies of the post secondary indigenous students in the 2019 budget.

The budget of 2016 and 2017 took steps to renew the Aboriginal skills and Employment Training strategy beyond March 31, 2018

Call for More

I would like to ask each and everyone of you consider human beings equally irrespective of their caste, race, religion or color. Think about the hardships that the indigenous children suffered in Residential schools. Let us all work together and stand with them to ensure that they enjoy their rights.

Also, I would like to ask the Canadian government to implement more strategies for the education and employment of the aboriginals. Providing more funding and putting forward more effective strategies to ensure these rights of them will definitely bring a progress to the call to action. I wish to see the status of the call to Action 7 as “completed”.

References

Government of Canada: Education