Tag Archives: government

Entry #20: Government of Saskatchewan – First Nations, Métis, and Northern Citizens

https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/first-nations-citizens

This government website provides information organized into sections on federal benefits and rights, applying for Indian Status, the Duty to Consult of the provincial government, education, business information, help for Aboriginal victims of crime, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a directory of First Nations and Métis contacts, community initiatives, tax programs, hunting and fishing rights, and treaty land and entitlements.  This resource provides the government perspective on their governance of these tenets of First Nations and Métis life while providing relevant information for First Nations and Métis use of government systems and services.  Each page is further subdivided into relevant categories of information, including links to any government policies or forms and common questions about the topic.  In order to more fully understand the nature of Indigenous – non-Indigenous interactions and dynamics in Saskatchewan, it is important to look at the tone set by the government and the role they play in contemporary successes and challenges.

Entry #9: The Sixties Scoop

Alston-O’Connor, E. (2011). The Sixties Scoop: Implications for Social Workers and Social Work Education. Critical Social Work, 11(1), 53-61. Retrieved from http://www1.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/the-sixties-scoop-implications-for-social-workers-and-social-work-education

This paper is a well-sourced exploration of the present consequences of the Sixties Scoop, which has been at the forefront in the media this week due to the recent court case. This article provides contextual background as well as considerations for dealing with the imposed consequences and realities of families and institutions affected by this policy. In order for positive developments to be made in positive growth and healing, there needs to be an understanding of the role different people can play in the process. Understanding the roots of challenges is essential to understanding how to address the challenges. Social work and education are closely connected, and in this case, the social work perspective on the historic and present events is important as a component of a larger picture regarding the Sixties Scoop.

Local Indigenous Knowledge Module 1.3

Have you seen the YouTube video of magnetic putty?  One of them is here if you need a quick look (42 s. pt). To me Indigenous peoples are the magnet and the “new” K-7 curriculum is the magnetic putty. As you see in the video the putty is attracted to the magnet, but eclipses the magnet as it reforms itself over top.

My intent is not to disparage any of those nouns mentioned, however being on the inside I sometimes think it is still up to those in the trenches to communicate the royal commission ideals, and decolonized directives, and shared learning expertise. A great deal of which they don’t know.

My link isn’t the YouTube video, it is, in fact, the K-7 Curricular document.

Module 3- Post 5- Equality for All

The more I learn about the history of First Nations in Canada and the continuing inequality of present day education, the more I realize the responsibility we all have as educators in breaking the cycle. I am amazed by the number of ignorant people who don’t seem to understand or care about the reasons why so many First nations students are struggling in today’s system. However, it is heartening to learn about the people who do care and the programs that are in place in order to make a difference to future generations.

Here are some resources that I have recently come across that I think are useful to learn more about Canadian History and it’s continuing effects on First Nations Peoples today.

The following video that looks like it was published by a student at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (The Home of Aboriginal Post- Secondary Education in BC) provides statistics about the differences in education rates and employment between Aboriginals and Non- Aboriginals.

It’s Not an Opinion, It’s a Fact: Aboriginal Education in Canada

In the article found in University of Regina’s Degrees Magazine. James Daschuk talks about the book he has written titled, Clearing the Plains about the damage done by the Canadian Government during the time of John A Macdonald’s national dream.

Daschuk, James. Clearing the Plains (pages 39-40). Degrees, The University of Regina Magazine, Volume 26, no.2, fall/winter 2015. retrieved July 12th, 2015. http://www.uregina.ca/external/communications/assets/docs/pdf/degrees-magazine/dm-fw2014.pdf

In this recent video; Trudeau, Mulcair blast Harper’s record on First Nations issues  (July 8th, 2015) both NDP and LIberal Candidates promise more for Aboriginal Communities than has been delivered by Stephen Harper’s Conservative Govt. Time will tell.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/news-video/video-trudeau-mulcair-blast-harpers-record-on-first-nations-issues/article25348074/