Ford government's decision to prioritize economy over an Indigenous teaching framework in the latest elementary science and technology curriculum.

Indigenous teachings have been taken out of the Ontario Elementary School curriculum. Our future generations will have no knowledge of Canadian history or current issues. Education minister, Stephen Leece claims that students need to learn about “Real-world experiences”. The Grade 6 expectation is to learn about the importance of biodiversity in supporting Indigenous agriculture around the world. Grade 4 students will learn about the importance of First Nations, Métis and Inuit geological knowledge in the selection of rocks and minerals. Grade 8 students will learn about First Nations, Métis and Inuit knowledge and values about water, connections to water and ways of managing water resources sustainably. These are real world experiences and contain more important and valuable information than learning how to do tax and understanding technology. Taking out Indigenous curriculum can also be dangerous. The reason that our Canadian schools have been providing these classes is to expand the minds of students who have no knowledge of the 4.9% Indigenous peoples in Canada that have a rather huge part in Canadian history and in the modern day world. Without this curriculum students will only obtain the knowledge of the white perspective and continue their life with no remorse or information about our history. If this curriculum isn't taught, history will begin to repeat itself and that is a major issue.  We Indigenous peoples along with other cultures continue to be at the bottom of the food chain. We have always been overpowered by western society, our world was made to be that way. In order to fix this long lasting issue, we as Indigenous peoples have to give that society an understanding of a traditional world. History is taught by having people that gain important knowledge whether that's from an education system or people that have experienced the history and passed on into further generations. Without this curriculum, the Indigenous cultures will die and children that carry their ancestors' bloodline will have no knowledge about their culture and once again be colonized. The important history will be forgotten such as; Residential school, stolen land, 60s scoop, ongoing water issues, genocide and more. We Indigenous peoples have fought very hard for the truth to be uncovered, in 2021 the horrible happenings inside residential schools were finally spoken about and apologized for. Today in 2022, our history is being covered yet again and hidden. We keep backtracking as a society and it is getting tiring. We want our basic rights and we have deserved the right to have our history spoken about and our traditions passed on to others. Doug Ford, you are depriving Canadians students of important education.

Katsitsiyostha Maracle    Contact the author of the petition