Dale Sturges talks about the array of programs RBC offers to be recognized as a bank that stands for Indigenous prosperity
Dale Sturges is national managing director of the Indigenous Financial Services Group with RBC. Does RBC offer any unique programs or services to meet the needs of Alberta’s Indigenous community? Sturges: RBC offers a number of programs to support access to education and employment for Indigenous people, including the RBC Indigenous Talent Development Program, which…
Document contains serious flaws and constitutes an unprecedented threat to academic freedom and freedom of inquiry
In September 2018, the Office of Academic Indigenization provided Mount Royal University (MRU) faculty with a document entitled Indigenizing Mount Royal’s Curricula: A Call For Engagement. This document affirmed the Calgary university’s commitment “to indigenizing its curricula to ensure that all students graduate with a basic understanding of Indigenous content informed by Indigenous perspectives,” and…
It’s hard to fault people when simply signing up can net a big lump of money. But the taxpayer is always on the hook
A staggering amount of money is being gobbled up by the victim industry in Canada. The Globe and Mail reported on Aug, 17, 2018, that different factions of lawyers involved in what’s termed the ’60s Scoop class action suit are squabbling over $75 million in fees up for grabs for the work they claim to have…
The goal of education is to stimulate constant growth in knowledge and wisdom in each individual
In the world of education, we’re preparing our students for an uncertain future. Some of the jobs of today won’t exist in 20 years. And new jobs are being created all the time, the likes of which we can hardly imagine. Our educational system was primarily designed during the industrial revolution. We needed clerks and…
First Nations children are denied the same funding for health care, social services and education as non-Indigenous kids
By Jane Cordy and Raymonde Gagné National Child Day, which commemorates the adoption of the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child, has come and gone for another year, but Canada cannot celebrate much progress. Yes, the federal government has established a Poverty Reduction Strategy; there is a Youth Council to advise the prime…
Eight of 10 unemployed Indigenous Albertans living off reserve said there was a shortage of jobs: StatsCan
Skills training and more education were identified by First Nations people living off reserve as the key to finding work, according to the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey released on Monday by Statistics Canada. The survey found 27 per cent of respondents said those two factors would help them most to find a job. “The off-reserve…
Teaching such languages is better done by parents and ethnic associations. Schools must focus on core subjects
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called upon governments to make the teaching of Indigenous languages in public schools a priority. No one would disagree with the idea of having more Indigenous people become familiar with their ancestral languages. Many Canadians want their children to learn their ethnic languages. Parents with Scottish roots might…
Focusing on the residential school system alone fails to recognize and correct 200 years of bad policy and practice
There’s nothing simple about the story of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools. The system underwent considerable change during its 126-year history, with fluctuations in size, focus, and influence. Beginning as a collection of industrial schools and later transformed to the residential school model, the system had its origin in one school established in 1833 as part…
Five reasons why bilingual Indigenous education improves scholastic results and ensures better futures
Research tells us that bilingual education is the best possible education, but Canadian census results and parents’ experiences suggest that some Indigenous children educated in an Indigenous language are struggling. For example, education in Inuktut is a right that some Inuit parents, and governments, are giving up, and I understand. We want children to succeed and…
Should every Indigenous person who was required to attend day school be compensated?
CBC reports that a class-action lawsuit against the federal government has been authorized on behalf of Indigenous students who attended day schools in Canada. It seeks damages for every Indigenous student who attended. There are an estimated 100,000 such people alive. The lawsuit could result in a payout of at least the $5 billion that…
Dale Sturges is national managing director of the Indigenous Financial Services Group with RBC. Does RBC offer any unique programs or services to meet the needs of Alberta’s Indigenous community? Sturges: RBC offers a number of programs to support access to education and employment for Indigenous people, including the RBC Indigenous Talent Development Program, which…
