Educational Resources

Source: Cameron A., Cutean, A. (2017). Digital Economy Talent Supply: Indigenous Peoples of Canada, Information and Communications Technology Council. Ottawa, Canada.

Summary: As the technology sector continues to develop and grow, and automation increasingly permeates various components of the economy, Canada is faced with the challenge of filling roughly 219,000 ICT jobs by 2021. Doing so will necessitate a strong and reliable supply pipeline, including a local talent pool that is well-equipped with the skills to succeed in a digital economy. The first step in utilizing our local talent pool is understanding the various strengths, cultures and capacities that comprise it.

Digital Economy Talent Supply: Indigenous Peoples of Canada utilizes in-depth research and analysis to showcase first-hand the value of diversity and inclusion in Canada’s growing digital economy. Displaying opportunities, challenges and the unique needs of Canadian Indigenous communities in the move towards ICT engagement, the report shines a spotlight on one of Canada’s most significant talent streams.

Source: Statistics Canada

Summary: The portal is part of Statistics Canada’s Indigenous Statistical Capacity Development Initiative, and provides a central location on the agency’s website where users can find links to data products about First Nations People, Métis, and Inuit.

The Indigenous Statistics Portal provides data on Indigenous communities, children and families, health and well-being, education, work, and many other topics, in one convenient location.
Users can also quickly find information on recently released products and view data from the 2016 Census.

Source: Toulouse, P. (2016). What Matters in Indigenous Education: Implementing a Vision Committed to Holism, Diversity and Engagement. In Measuring What Matters, People for Education. Toronto: March, 2016.

Summary: Indigenous peoples’ experiences with education in Canada has been a contentious one. The focus from the outset of imposed, colonial-based education has centred on assimilation and/or segregation of Indigenous peoples from their communities and worldviews (National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health et al., 2009).

The history of education for Indigenous peoples in Canada has structural and societal roots mired in marginalization and subjugation. Today, the improved state of education for Indigenous peoples has its foundations in the resiliency of Indigenous communities and social justice movements advocating for inclusion and change (Iseke-Barnes, 2008; People for Education, 2013).

So, what is inclusion? Who are Indigenous peoples? What are the issues that face Indigenous peoples? How can education be re-conceptualized to include Indigenous ways of knowing? And, why should we care? These are questions that will be examined throughout this paper.

Source: Statistics Canada

Summary: First Nations people, Métis and Inuit make up an increasingly large share of the population.
In 2016, there were 1,673,785 Indigenous people in Canada, accounting for 4.9% of the total population. This was up from 3.8% in 2006 and 2.8% in 1996.

The First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations are growing quickly.

Since 2006, the Indigenous population grew by 42.5%, which is more than four times faster than the rest of the population.

The First Nations population— including both those who are registered or treaty Indians under the Indian Act and those who are not—grew by 39.3% from 2006 to reach 977,230 people in 2016.

The Métis population (587,545) had the largest increase of any of the groups over the 10-year span, rising 51.2% from 2006 to 2016.

The Inuit population (65,025) grew by 29.1% from 2006 to 2016.

In the next two decades, the Indigenous population is likely to exceed 2.5 million persons.

Source: David Philpott, Dennis Sharpe, Rose Neville, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology

Summary: This paper outlines the findings of a study that explores perspectives of e-learning for Aboriginal students in five coastal communities in Labrador, Canada. The rural nature of many communities in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, coupled with a dramatically declining enrollment, has resulted in expanding use of e-learning as a means to provide quality high school curriculum. Recently, a Community University Research Alliance partnered with stakeholders to explore the success of e-learning in the province. Through one of the projects of this alliance, the authors examined the success of this mode of delivery for Aboriginal students from the perspective of the students themselves, as well as the perspective of parents and educators. Additionally, student performance was examined in comparison to provincial peers. A wealth of data emerged which affords insights into factors that support and hinder e-learning in coastal areas and also informs educators about the diverse learning characteristics and needs of Aboriginal students. As Canadian educators are increasingly challenged to address achievement issues that continue to characterize Aboriginal populations, this study offers important data on the viability of e-learning as a mode of curriculum delivery.

Source: Guevremont, A., Kohen, D. (2017). Aboriginal Language and School Outcomes: Investigating the Associations for Young Adults. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 8(1). Retrieved from: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss1/6

Summary: Being taught an Aboriginal language at school has generally been associated with positive school outcomes for Aboriginal children but not adults. This study attempted to understand this discordance by examining three possible explanations: (a) confounding variables, (b) a cohort effect, and (c) differences in the timing and duration of Aboriginal language instruction. Confounding variables (school attendance on reserve, parental education, and family residential school attendance) and duration of Aboriginal language instruction (six or more grades) were important contributors; whereas the presence of a cohort effect and the timing of Aboriginal language instruction were not found to be significant. Future studies of Aboriginal language instruction should consider family educational experiences, location of schooling, and the duration of Aboriginal language instruction.

Source: Environics Institute

Summary: Executive Summary

The results of this survey reveal that youth in Canada as a whole are aware and engaged when it comes to the history of Indigenous-non-Indigenous relations and reconciliation in particular. Moreover, there is a striking alignment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth on many of the issues covered in this research. While Indigenous youth are more apt to express definitive views, the gap with their non-Indigenous counterparts is in many cases is not significant; the similarities in perspective stand out much more than the differences.

Both populations generally agree about the country’s colonial legacy of mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples, the importance of making positive changes and the obstacles that stand in the way, about what reconciliation is all about, and a shared optimism about realizing reconciliation in their lifetime. Moreover, involvement in reconciliation

activities appears to be making a positive difference in both knowledge and outlook.
Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in Canada share the same broad life goals, which include a successful or meaningful career, family and children, financial independence, and living a balanced life, with Indigenous youth placing greater emphasis on educational goals. Both populations express confidence in achieving at least some of their goals, but highlight both financial and emotional pressures as the greatest obstacles to having a good life.

Source: Nunavut Tunngavik Inc, Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Robert Phillipson and Robert Dunbar

Summary: In the 2016 census, 1.6 million Canadians reported having an Indigenous identity, with only 260,000 reporting the ability to conduct a conversation in an Indigenous language. There are currently 58 distinct Indigenous languages in Canada, comprising more than 90 distinct dialects. Six of the languages had more than 10,000 people who reported that it was a mother tongue: the Cree languages, Dene, Innu, Inuktitut, Ojibway and Oji-Cree. Since at least the 1940s, serious concerns have been expressed by Indigenous organizations in Canada about the decline in the use of their languages. Many Indigenous individuals did so as early as in the 18th century. A large number of general old and new studies from several disciplines have described the linguistic and cultural decline (e.g. Clark 1996; Chuffart 2017). This decline is continuing to this day (2019), despite many attempts to counter it.

Source: BC Ministry of Education

Summary: The report provides a mechanism for the Ministry of Education, Aboriginal communities and school districts to discuss, make recommendations and take action to improve the educational outcomes for Aboriginal students. Through Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreements and Local Education Agreements, school districts have used this report to improve education outcomes for Aboriginal students.
The proportion of Aboriginal students to the general B.C. student population is very stable at 11.5 per cent in 2015/16.

More than 90 per cent of Aboriginal students achieved a pass rate of C- or better in six of 11 courses. More Aboriginal students are completing high school in B.C. than ever before. The six-year completion rate for Aboriginal students climbed to 64 per cent in 2015/16, up from 57 per cent in 2011/12.