Honouring the Truth Reconciling for the Future

198 • Truth & Reconciliation Commissionv. Enabling parental and community responsibility, control, and accountability,similar to what parents enjoy in public school systems.vi. Enabling parents to fully participate in the education of their children.vii. Respecting and honouring Treaty relationships.Métis and Inuit educationProvincial and territorial schools are the only option for Métis students, otherAboriginal children without recognized status, and those First Nation and Inuitchildren who do not live on reserves or who do live on reserves but attend provincialschools. Their educational outcomes are not significantly better than those whoattend First Nation schools on reserves or in their home communities. 66 Jurisdictionaldisputes between the federal and provincial governments over responsibility for Métiseducation continue to be a major obstacle to ensuring that Métis people have controlover the education of their young people. The Métis remain without recognized jurisdictionand authority even though they have equal protection under Section 35 of theConstitution. 67 The result is that Métis children generally are educated in public orCatholic school systems in which school boards are not specifically held accountablefor the education needs of Métis children. 68 The Commission believes all levels of governmentshould consult with Métis parents, communities, and national organizationsto provide Métis-specific educational programming.Inuit students face one of the largest gaps in terms of educational attainment. Adisproportionately high number of northern parents are residential school Survivorsor intergenerational Survivors. Inuit are among Canada’s youngest citizens, with amedian age of twenty-two. In response to the intense needs of its young population,Inuit peoples have been leading the way to dramatic change. Inuit education is onthe cusp of significant transformation, with some of the most promising models forself-governing education coming out of northern communities. But these changeshave not been without obstacles. Some regions have a greater capacity to develop thenecessary resources than others. A shortage of bilingual educators is one of the greatestbarriers to expanding bilingual education in Inuit schools. There is also a lack ofteaching and reading materials in Inuit languages. 69Another major problem is the lack of supports both within and outside the educationsystem that are necessary to ensure student success. Inuit educators have longrecognized that it is important to begin working with children as early as possible, butthe North lacks good-quality daycare and preschool spaces. 70