Poste - Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children

C A N A D I A N C O A L I T I O N F O R T H E R I G H T S O F C H I L D R E N
Quebec:
• Life in Society is one of six major areas of
learning in the Quebec curriculum. 142
• Citizenship Education is offered from Grade 3 to
the end of high school.
• Values are explored in moral education and
religious education. 143
Nova Scotia:
• The Public School Program identifies citizenship
as essential learning and should include: human
rights, recognizing discrimination and principles
of pluralistic, democratic societies and
multiculturalism. 144
Respect for the Natural
Environment
As a result of major reviews of policy and curriculum in
most provinces, greater emphasis on environmental
education has been incorporated across the country. 145
The extent and effectiveness of this learning objective is
not known.
To support the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development (Agenda 21), a Canadian youth action
guide was developed. 146 Furthermore, a national nonprofit
organization, Learning for a Sustainable Future,
was established to address the Rio recommendations on
sustainable development. Since its creation, the
organization has:
• given workshops to over 2,000 educators;
• assisted with the development of teaching resource
materials and the integration of sustainable
development concepts into the Atlantic provinces’ core
curriculum, the Pan-Canadian Protocol for
Collaboration on Science Curriculum and the Western
Common Curriculum Protocol; and
• created the Ontario Learning for Sustainability
Partnership (OLSP) in 1995. 147
In order to advance the development of a pan-Canadian
science curriculum, all ministers of education and
teachers’ federations received a report on proposed
amendments to ensure the sustainable perspective. 148
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Environmental awareness is promoted in classroom
work and extra-curricular clubs. For example, the
Philippine Assistance Development Program, funded
by the Canadian International Development Agency,
coordinated a project called “Race Against Waste”
where youth from Canada and the Philippines made
environmentally friendly toys from recycled materials. 149
Case Study
The unique, award-winning Colquitz Watershed
Stewardship Project in the Greater Victoria and
Saanich School Districts, supported by the public
and private sectors, has trained 120 teachers in
various environmental programs. Over 4,000
elementary students have completed class studies,
participated on field trips and undertaken projects
to clean streams and school yards, raise salmon,
mark storm drains and plant shrubs and trees.
Junior and secondary students get “Stream Keeper”
college-level training. Following certification, they
become involved in community restoration and
hatchery projects, assist elementary classrooms with
their field studies, participate in educating the
public and monitor local water courses. Some
students identified a previously undocumented
hazard to Coho salmon fry, which significantly
improved the survival chances of thousands of
fish. 150
Provincial/Territorial Curricula:
Respect for the Natural Environment
British Columbia:
• Environmental education is to be directed to all
students from kindergarten to the post-secondary
level and environmental concepts are integrated
into all subject areas. 151
• Issues include waste management, socially
responsible and ethical economics, conservation
and restoration of the environment, energy and
resource management, technology and the
environment, global awareness and
responsibility. 152