Implementation of recommendations in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to action

To: Canada

136. In order to improve education outcomes of First Nations youth, we support and endorse Recommendations 7 through 11 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (CTA) that call upon the federal government to:
     1. develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians (CTA#7)
     2. eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for First Nations children being educated on reserves and those First Nations children being educated off reserves (CTA#8)
     3. prepare and publish annual reports comparing funding for the education of First Nations children on and off reserves, as well as educational and income attainments of Aboriginal peoples in Canada compared with non-Aboriginal people (CTA#9)
     4. draft new Aboriginal education legislation with the full participation and informed consent of Aboriginal peoples, and committed to the following principles (CTA#10):
        1. providing sufficient funding to close identified educational achievement gaps within one generation
        2. improving education attainment levels and success rates
        3. developing culturally appropriate curricula
        4. protecting the right to Aboriginal languages, including the teaching of Aboriginal languages as credit courses
        5. enabling parental and community responsibility, control, and accountability, similar to what parents enjoy in public school systems
        6. enabling parents to fully participate in the education of their children
        7. respecting and honouring Treaty relationships
        8. providing adequate funding to end the backlog of First Nations students seeking a post-secondary education

To: Canada, Ontario and NAN

137. In order to improve health outcomes of First Nations youth, we support and endorse Recommendations 18 through 20 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action that:
     1. Call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to acknowledge that the current state of Aboriginal health in Canada is a direct result of previous Canadian government policies, including residential schools, and to recognize and implement the health-care rights of Aboriginal people as identified in international law, constitutional law, and under the Treaties. (CTA#18)
     2. Call upon the federal government, in consultation with Aboriginal peoples, to establish measurable goals to identify and close the gaps in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, and to publish annual progress reports and assess long-term trends. Such efforts would focus on indicators such as: infant mortality, maternal health, suicide, mental health, addictions, life expectancy, birth rates, infant and child health issues, chronic diseases, illness and injury incidence, and the availability of appropriate health services. (CTA#19)
     3. In order to address the jurisdictional disputes concerning Aboriginal people who do not reside on reserves, call upon the federal government to recognize, respect, and address the distinct health needs of the Métis, Inuit, and off-reserve Aboriginal peoples. (CTA#20).

To: Canada and Ontario

138. In order to assess progress in the areas of education and health of First Nations youth, we support and endorse Recommendation 55 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action that calls upon all levels of government to provide annual reports or any current data requested by the National Council for Reconciliation so that it can report on the progress towards reconciliation. The reports or data would include, but not be limited to:
     1. Comparative funding for the education of First Nations children on and off reserves the educational and income attainments of Aboriginal peoples in Canada compared with non-Aboriginal people.
     2. Progress in closing the gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in a number of health indicators such as: infant mortality, maternal health, suicide, mental health, addictions, life expectancy, birth rates, infant and child health issues, chronic diseases, illness and injury incidence, and the availability of appropriate health services.

To: Canada, Ontario and the City of Thunder Bay

139. We support and endorse Recommendation 57 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action that calls upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations.

To: Canada and Ontario

140. In order to achieve reconciliation through education, we support and endorse Recommendation 62 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action that calls upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to:
     1. make age-appropriate curriculum based on the history of residential schools and legacy effect, 60’s Scoop, colonialism, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students to counteract the harmful stereotypes and false and misleading histories/stories that play out in the media
     2. provide the necessary funding to post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms
     3. provide the necessary funding to Aboriginal schools to utilize Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods in classrooms, and
     4. establish senior-level positions in government at the assistant deputy minister level or higher dedicated to Aboriginal content in education

To: Ontario

141. In addition, in order to further efforts toward reconciliation through education, we support and endorse Recommendation 63 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action that calls upon the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (upon its creation) to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including:
     1. developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools
     2. sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history
     3. building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect, and
     4. identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above