Native women's association says high school students should be taught about genocide
The Native Women's Association of Canada says it is hoping to make ugly truths about the ongoing genocide of Indigenous Peoples easier for students to see and understand with a graphic guide that could form the basis of school curriculums.
The group said it developed an easy-to-read graphic booklet in the hopes it would spur politicians into action and better educate the next generation of Canadians.
"We don't want the next group of adults not to know. We want to teach our young ones," said CEO Lynne Groulx at a press conference Monday.
Many people were shocked and confused when the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls concluded that Canada as a state has contributed to a genocide of Indigenous peoples, she said.
"Those who do not constantly fear for the safety of their mothers and daughters or sisters could simply not understand how the inquiry reached its finding, and they have difficulty acknowledging the genocide or even saying the word," Groulx said.
In the four years that have passed since, she said, only two of the 231 calls for justice that accompanied that report have been implemented.
"We at NWAC have come to realize that this inaction is due to the lack of political will," she said.
The group said it plans to send the new graphic guide to every member of Parliament as well as to provincial ministers of education.
It said it seeks to "shock their consciousness" and encourage them to act, especially when it comes to recommendation 11.1 of the inquiry's final report, which called for schools to teach students "the historical and current truths about the genocide against Indigenous Peoples through state laws, policies, and colonial practices"
The booklet looks something like a comic book and lays out the legal argument that Canada has committed genocide in colourful and simple-to-follow illustrations.
The artist, Chloe Germain-Therien, said she used watercolour for the illustrations to try to appeal to the reader's emotions, as well as their intellectual sides.
The 10-page book also dissects misunderstood elements of genocide to explain how it applies in Canada, said lawyer Fannie Lafontaine, who authored the booklet.
"Our aim in the booklet, which I hope is going to be taught to every school, is that genocide happened here in Canada in a different manner than, for example, the Holocaust," she said.
Lafontaine was also the lead writer of a supplementary report on genocide for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
When many people think of genocide they imagine massacres committed by individuals, she said at the press conference Monday.
In Canada's case, the state was the perpetrator, said Lafontaine.
Rather than single massacres, she said, the genocide happened in the form of abuse, sexual assault, poor living conditions, forced or coerced sterilization and removing children from families to put them in residential schools or adopt them into non-Indigenous families.
Current curriculums don't talk about Indigenous history in terms of genocide, she said, and that needs to change for the next generation to put public pressure on political leaders to act.
"You can't sugar-coat it. You have to tell the truth," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Canadians gathered Monday in cities and towns across the country to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Canada cancels automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas, tightens rules
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Trump names Stephen Miller to be deputy chief of policy in new administration
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is naming longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, to be the deputy chief of policy in his new administration.
Mattel says it 'deeply' regrets misprint on 'Wicked' dolls packaging that links to porn site
Toy giant Mattel says it 'deeply' regrets an error on the packaging of its 'Wicked' movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website.
Alien-like signal from 2023 has been decoded. The next step is to figure out what it means
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Twin port shutdowns risk more damage to Canadian economy: business groups
Business groups are raising concerns about the broad effects of another round of labour disruptions in the transport sector as Canada faces shutdowns at its two biggest ports.
A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.
Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people
Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.
Bleeding and in pain, a woman endured a harrowing wait for miscarriage care due to Georgia's restrictive abortion law
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.
Local Spotlight
Should Toronto tear up its bike lanes to improve traffic flow? Critics say it's not so simple
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.