Ontario Marking Ten Years of Collaboration on Indigenous Education

Ministry of Education

Province Investing in Indigenous Language Revitalization

Scarborough, ON – Mar 9, 2018

Ontario is recognizing a decade of collaboration with Indigenous and education partners to support the well-being and achievement of First Nation, Métis and Inuit students, with new investments in the revitalization of Indigenous languages.

Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister of Education, and Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, were at Eastview Public School in Toronto to mark ten years of collaboration and announce that the province is investing in 40 community-led programs that promote the revitalization of Indigenous languages. These projects will include language camps, Indigenous language immersion programing, and the creation of curriculum, games and apps to support language learning.

The province also released Strengthening our Learning Journey, the Third Progress Report on Ontario’s First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework. Over the last 10 years, Ontario has been working with Indigenous partners to support the success and well-being of First Nation, Métis and Inuit students including:

Signing historic partnership agreements with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians, Métis Nation of Ontario and Tungasuvvingat Inuit, and the signing of the Master Education Agreement with the Anishinabek Nation, to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students.
Working with Indigenous partners to ensure the curriculum is more inclusive of First Nation, Métis and Inuit histories, cultures, contributions and perspectives.
Co-hosting the Gidinwewininaanan, No Lang Indigenous Languages Symposium, and establishing the Indigenous Languages Fund to support community-led projects that promote the revitalization of Indigenous languages.

Supporting the achievement and well-being of Indigenous students is one of the many steps on Ontario’s journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. It reflects the government’s commitment to work with Indigenous partners in making meaningful change and creating a better future for everyone in the province.