Why Canada’s universities should mandate indigenous courses – The Globe and Mail
Dec. 10, 2015
Annette Trimbee is president and vice-chancellor of the University of Winnipeg. Wab Kinew is the university’s associate vice-president of indigenous affairs.
Every university in Canada should mandate indigenous content. Why? To borrow a phrase from our Prime Minister, “Because it’s 2015.”
We are proud at the University of Winnipeg to be launching an indigenous course requirement next fall, at the same time as our colleagues at Lakehead University. Starting in 2016, every undergraduate at our institutions will learn about First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.
For too long, Canadians have had a blind spot regarding indigenous peoples. Statements such as “I’m not Dene, why should I have to learn that?” embody this type of thinking. Yet consider the fact that our country has an indigenous name: Kanata. How can we truly understand what it means to be Canadian if we don’t know what “Kanata” means or know much about the peoples whose languages gifted us this name?
