Lifelong Learning: Post-Secondary Education (PSE) and Skills Development

Summary Of Discussions - Métis Breakout Session

Addressing Issues of Jurisdiction and Control

What are the key principles of jurisdiction and control for the Métis Nation with respect to PSE and skills development? What are the recommended actions to deal with these issues? Which actions are immediate and which are long term?

Key Principles

• ensure every Métis youth gets a good education compatible at a minimum to other Canadians;
• Métis peoples should have a strong educational foundation, which builds on our strengths, language, identity and uniqueness;
• Métis specific control/jurisdiction through devolution of education;
• that the federal government mandate Métis involvement at all jurisdictional levels of lifelong learning initiatives;
• that “Métis Identity” be a leading concept within a coordinating body that facilitates, communicates and avoids duplication of respective lifelong learning initiatives;
• there is a need for specific strategies to increase post-secondary participation and “school to work” transition; and
• The Métis are a distinct and unique Nation, and as such, are guaranteed the right of self-governance and self-determination. Reclaiming and preserving Métis culture and language is the foundation of all lifelong learning.

Key Recommendations

• education is a right and should be equitably resourced, a principle which should be honored for all Métis people;
• use AHRDS resources to build foundational skills, and general use funds for PSE. Create and implement public policy that would support integration of Métis peoples in a labour market that is representative of their community (i.e. collective agreements);
• establish agreements in principle with F/P/Ts that would recognize/set out Métis involvement in the process of implementing these agreements;
• design and implement a resolution strategy to deal with barriers to education, training and certification with a special focus on Métis peoples with disabilities;
• create Métis institutions that support, validate and reinforce Métis perspectives;
• clarify who (provincial versus federal) has responsibility for Métis education support (i.e. funding) in Canada;
• federal government must commit to hard targets on a representative work force;
• devolution of funds and control to a Métis Nation infrastructure;
• expand and enhance the current AHRDS mandate to include education, lifelong learning through the investment of dollars;
• Métis Nation enumeration to gather accurate Métis specific data;
• train both Métis educators and mainstream educators;
• expand role-model programs;
• any new resources be allocated to Métis institutions rather than mainstream institutions to ensure a move toward long-term goals;
• Métis specific funding to enhance access, diagnosis and support for learners with disabilities;
• mandate the creation/implementation of provincial policy to address post-secondary special needs learners;
• creation of a “one stop shop” for career counselling and post-secondary funding guidance—both walk in and on-line;
• make amendments to the student loan program, (i.e. parental/other support is currently assumed but often not available);
• mandate all levels of authorities who have jurisdiction over Métis programming to enter into consultation with Métis (community, government) representatives before policy changes that affect Métis are implemented; and
• the needs of Métis women, Métis people living with disabilities, and Métis people living in rural, remote and urban settings, must be reflected at all levels of decision making.

Improving Access and Integration

Key Recommendations

• recognition of Métis Nation, Métis specific control through devolution to the Métis Nation;
• that “Métis Identity” be a leading concept within a coordinating body that facilitates, communicates and avoids duplication of respective lifelong learning initiatives;
• create boards composed of Métis community members mandated to affect the lifelong learning process, (i.e. research partnership, funding and coordination of initiatives);
• recognition of Métis National Council and governing members and institutions as having the authority to initiate/negotiate and undertake delivery of all federal programs;
• expand and enhance current AHRDS mandate to include education;
• inclusion and preservation of Métis traditional knowledge;
• Métis Nation enumeration and gathering accurate Métis specific data;
• environmental scan of existing programs;
• train Métis educators and mainstream educators;
• expand mentor and role-model programs;
• culturally appropriate diagnostic testing by Métis for Métis; and
• any new resources should be allocated to Métis institutions rather than mainstream institutions to ensure a change toward long-term goals.

Capacity and Sustainability

What does the government need to do to enable progress on PSE and skills development? How will we know progress is being made? What capacity supports are needed in the area of PSE and skills development?

• there is a need for Métis participation, inclusion, and content in mainstream systems and institutions;
• there is a need for Métis controlled post-secondary institutions;
• Métis government must be accountable to Métis people;
• Métis institutions, Métis government structures, affiliates and AHRDA structures need the capacity to adequately compensate qualified staff and to have adequate numbers of staff in appropriate areas. This is true for other existing Métis institutions;
• the establishment of Métis controlled and run post-secondary institutions across Canada;
• more flexibility in the application of all agreements with government, concerning lifelong learning;
• sustainability through the accreditation of Métis knowledge and programs;
• infrastructure through Métis universities and bottom down infrastructure that are community driven and nationally coordinated;
• evaluate process, participation and completion rates; and
• Michif language becoming first language.

Government To Do List

• flexibility in all human services delivery systems, (i.e. health, child care, justice and social assistance);
• provide dedicated education dollars to Métis Nation, (i.e. not limited to scholarships, bursaries and loans);
• devolve the authority for educational programming to the Métis Nation;
• inter-provincial mobility for Métis students studying in different provinces;
• increase managerial, professional and technical expertise of Métis organizations;
• amend student loan program eligibility, total amounts and ability to forgive; and
• legislation and supporting policies that mandate Métis issues are reflected in educational systems.

Progress Indicators

• increase in the percentage of Métis graduates;
• more representation in the work force, especially in professions including, dentists, medical field, justice and teachers;
• increase in implementation of curriculum initiatives, (i.e. Métis content infused in curriculum);
• Métis research initiatives that would evaluate our progress regarding lifelong learning process;
• research in Métis traditional knowledge;
• accountability mechanism would ensure Métis education dollars are serving Métis students through measurable results;
• Métis educators providing culturally appropriate education;
• network of Métis mentors that engage in the development of Métis learners and apprentices;
• closing of the gap of Métis unemployment rates comparable to mainstream population;
• Nationhood, economic prosperity, opportunity, jurisdiction, authority, control, sustainability, traditional knowledge, governance and cultural integrity;
• at the core of accountability is the development of a national Métis Nation registry. This registry needs to interface with institutional statistics to evaluate progress;
• federal and provincial guidelines need to be flexible and broad enough to allow for the implementation of Métis Nation priorities;
• there needs to be a formal relationship between the Métis Nation and Treasury Board. There needs to be a mechanism in place that allows the Métis Nation input on policy to feed into Treasury Board guidelines; and
• the needs for lifelong learning as the foundation for educational success, such as culture, healing, self-esteem, language, have to be heavily resourced.

Research and Curriculum Development

What needs to occur to apply research to curriculum development? Where should research focus?

• developmental research should be on Métis-specific learning styles and Métis pedagogy;
• Métis historical and cultural research is a priority for Métis people. Ethical practice in research has to have Métis community involvement to address ethical concerns around research;
• Métis people need to be able to access and know how to access curriculum;
• archives and archivists funding needed;
• program development by looking to best practices;
• need mechanisms to share Métis specific data/research;
• accountability/reporting mechanisms indicators;
• area of research: Métis-specific evaluation tools;
• the Métis Nation needs to have the capacity to initiate its own research agenda over a long period of time and across multiple disciplines. Research institutions be funded to engage other research institutions to build partnerships;
• a research foundation of Métis-specific epistemology (nature of knowledge identified from a Métis perspective), ontology (the nature of being Métis spiritual/metaphysical), axiology (articulation of the values and belief systems), methodology needs to balance both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Applied to community-based research (health, education, government, policy, etc.) framed by and applied to the community research agenda;
• research should come from inside the community not from outside the community;
• respect for diversity;
• need to have the capacity to initiate their own research agenda over a long period of time and across multiple disciplines. Research institutions should have the capacity to engage other research institutions to build partnerships;
• need to recognize intellectual property rights;
• every school, university, working in research has to respect those collective rights;
• there should be research with language loss and language shift to see how it is affecting our kids, our communities and our identity;
• Métis Nation should be equally represented in the research industry;
• there needs to a strong implementation and action plan and research dollars for research and an equal amount of dollars to implement the outcomes;
• extensive research in curriculum development on the Métis Nation to increase the understanding of the Canadian public of Métis identity and issues;
• Métis need to identify research questions and process;
• Métis need recognition of community-based research protocols;
• there should be a balance of qualitative (community-grounded research theory - storytelling, oral history, etc.) and quantitative (statistical) research agendas;
• research needs to be a two-way process-institutions need to be in a relationship with the community and the community needs to be in a relationship with the institutions. Capacity investment in the Métis community to maintain an equitable relationship;
• conduct literature review to determine what Métis research has been conducted;
• expand upon existing capacities (i.e. Gabriel Dumont Institute) metismuseum.com, Métis Legacy, etc.;
• build on the capacity of the Gabriel Dumont Institute and other existing and new Métis institutions to conduct research that will benefit the Métis community;
• ownership, control, access, and participation principles should be put in place;
• inventory of Elder knowledge and oral history;
• publication funding;
• research conducted in a culturally appropriate manner; and
• existing research must be critically analysed by the Métis community.

Application of the Crosscutting Lenses—Métis

Throughout the discussions in the Métis breakout room, there was continued acknowledgement of the need to respect the diversity of the Métis community when building the education system. The overall objective is to design education systems to ensure the participation of all people. There were a wide-ranging number of suggestions to ensure access for women and people with disabilities including appropriate transportation, child care, other social supports (e.g. counselling) and educational institutions that have a physical environment supportive of people living with disabilities. Learners with disabilities also need culturally sensitive and safe means of testing their skill level, competencies and disabilities. Suggestions to address access issues for remote/rural communities included distance education programs that make use of technology.

There was an immediate call for the development of Protocol agreements between inter-governmental bodies and Métis organizations concerning skills development for Métis people living with disabilities.

Many of the groups described the objective of Métis women participating in all levels of skill development and education, from policy to practice. As such, they proposed specific actions to promote and develop educational opportunities for Métis women, non-traditional careers for Métis women and gender equality in wages and job opportunities including leadership positions.

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The documentation contained on this website does not necessarily represent the views of any government or National Aboriginal Organization. The purpose of this website is to share information related to the Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable: background papers, Facilitator's sectoral and final reports, agendas and media announcements.

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