YELLOWKNIFE (Wednesday, October 31, 2012) – To build on the success of the early October launch of the Northern Studies 10 curriculum, the Honourable Jackson Lafferty today officially introduced the materials to the public with a call to jurisdictions across Canada to develop their own dedicated residential schools curricula.

The completed curriculum was announced earlier in October at a three day inservice for teachers that will be using the new curriculum in schools across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.  The curriculum was launched by the Honourable Jackson Lafferty, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), the Honourable Eva Aariak, Minister of Education with the Government of Nunavut (GN), and Marie Wilson, Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

“Our original hopes for this curriculum have been exceeded by the overwhelming response we had with the launch to our teachers,” said Minister Lafferty.  “We built on the valuable research gathered by the Legacy of Hope Foundation with the intent of both informing our students and communities of the broad impact residential schools had on our aboriginal people, as well as providing them with a path to reconciliation and healing.  The exposure through the media and the requests for more information from across Canada has shone a light on the need for other jurisdictions to develop their own dedicated curricula.  As Commissioner Wilson stated, this is not just Aboriginal history; this is Canadian history.”

The Residential Schools curriculum is now a key section of the Northwest Territories Northern Studies course and the Nunavut Social Studies course.  It covers topics ranging from the history and legacy of residential schools, traditional education and learning, colonialism, assimilation, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the Federal apology, the TRC, and what reconciliation may look like.  It also includes literature and stories of former residential school students shared through audio and video clips, allowing students to learn of both the positive and negative impacts that school life had on individuals.

Minister Lafferty was joined by Mr. Richard Kistabish, Chair of the Legacy of Hope Foundation, to highlight the GNWT and GN’s materials and the educational products developed by the Legacy of Hope.  Through the exhaustive research and careful handling of this sensitive subject matter, both the Governments’ and Legacy of Hope’s products are providing a more comprehensive look at the history and legacy of the residential schools in Canada, and resources for healing and reconciliation.

For more information, visit www.legacyofhope.ca or www.ece.gov.nt.ca.

For more information, contact:

Jacqueline McKinnon
Manager, Public Affairs
Department of Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the Northwest Territories
867-920-6222
jacqueline_mckinnon@gov.nt.ca