Matthew Sysa

Response 1

            After reading Chapter 1 of the textbook, I have come to notice that, even though we are many years removed from the tragedies caused by the Residential Schools. Many Aboriginal people on reserves still do not receive a quality education, let alone one that is equal to what we receive here in the city of Winnipeg.

            After reading the case study on the Attawapiskat First Nation I realize that the education that I received while growing up in the city of Winnipeg was largely different than that available to the people on the reserve. They had a school that was built on land which was contaminated around 3 years after it was built (in 1976), yet the continued to use the school until the year 2000(p. 4). Had this contamination happened to a school in the city, it would have probably been shut down immediately by the government. Yet when something happens on a reserve they delay as long as possible resolving the issue.

            Finally, Shannon Koostachin, a teen activist had said that “Education is a Human Right” (p. 5). Yet for her to receive what her family felt was a quality education she had to “attend high school off the reserve” (p. 5). This was a difficult decision for her family to make. For many First Nations families the family is an important aspect in their way of life. I myself could not imagine living my family as a teen and move to another place to complete high school. These children who live on reserves deserve a better education on the reserves so that they do not have to leave their families.

Discussion Question: What must happen in our society for the concerns of First Nations communities to be responded to by the government in a timely fashion?