The Manitoba government has released the Treaty Education for All plan to offer all teachers, school staff and students educational resources about the original spirit and intent of treaties, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko and Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister Eileen Clarke announced in a media release June 28.
“Our government understands the importance of offering Treaty education across Manitoba schools, and much progress has been made by the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba,” said Ewasko. “The plan offers all teachers, school staff and students education that helps them to understand the importance of the original spirit and intent of Treaties.”
The plan includes:
– ensuring all school leaders, teachers and school staff complete Treaty education by Dec. 31, 2025;
– establishing Treaty education learning networks for catalyst teachers across divisions in both English and French starting in the upcoming school year;
– ensuring Treaty education is offered across the kindergarten to Grade 12 system; and
– developing of a 40S course in partnership with the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba.
“The Treaties are foundational agreements in Canada. They are part of our shared history and hold the promise of a prosperous future for Canadians and First Nations peoples,” said Loretta Ross, Treaty commissioner, Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba. “This new plan to ensure Treaty education is embedded in the education of our young people will have widespread effects across society, bringing people together and helping them embody the spirit of the Treaties throughout their lives.”
To support Treaty education, the Manitoba government will invest up to $1.3 million to provide more than 2,000 Treaty education resource kits with funding from the Indigenous Reconciliation Initiatives Fund (IRIF). The kits will be distributed to Manitoba schools this fall. The IRIF advances progress under the four foundational principles of respect, engagement, understanding and action outlined in the Path to Reconciliation Act.
“Learning about the importance of the Treaties and how they affect relationships with Indigenous communities is a key step in moving forward with reconciliation and having these resources available in schools will help with that work,” said Clarke. “As we learn more, we can help build respect and understanding, and be better positioned to take action towards reconciliation.”
The plan was developed by a steering committee co-chaired by the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning. The committee also included representatives from the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, Manitoba Association of School Superintendents, Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools, and the Indigenous Inclusion Directorate Advisory Council.
The minister noted that through this partnership with the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, this plan supports the Manitoba government’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action No. 62 and is in alignment with Calls to Action No. 12, 63, and 64.
For more information on the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, visit https://trcm.ca/
To read the Treaty Education for All plan, visit https://edu.gov.mb.ca/iid/Treaty_education.html
