Canadian Education News

First Nations House will celebrate 25th anniversary in 2017
Toronto Metro wrote about Diane Longboat’s graduation from the University of Toronto (1978), which was seen as a “significant feat.” Longboat said, “being an Indigenous girl and going to university was pretty unheard of.”

Longboat founded the First Nations House, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary in 2017. Her goal was to “revolutionize” Indigenous students’ education.

“There was no curriculum that specifically spoke to our history and culture,” Longboat said, “You could really see that our traditional languages were severely endangered if nothing was done to preserve them.”

Michael Ignatieff makes a call for support against legislation
The Globe and Mail reports that the Michael Ignatieff is making an appeal to Canada. Ignatieff, the former Liberal leader and current rector of Central European University in Budapest, denounced legislation from the Hungarian government. Claiming that the legislation targets his institution. Ignatieff made the call for international support from the international community, and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. “[The legislation] is a piece of vandalism, and we believe it must be stopped, not just for our sake, but for the sake of Hungarian and European academic freedom,” Ignatieff said.

The legislation, or the bill, Ignatieff argues, has the explicit goal of shutting down the university, as it requires foreign universities to have a campus in their home country if they wish to be accredited in Hungary. Ignatieff’s university, based in the United States and Hungary, is the only foreign university in Hungary to not already meet that requirement. Over two dozen Canadian students study at the school.

Alberta Education Minister calls out Jason Kenney
Herald News reported that the Progressive Conservative Leader’s, Jason Kenney’s, comments have “set back” the “cause of gay youth,” according to the Alberta education minister David Eggen.

“Jason Kenney has shown that once you scratch the paint off a little bit, you find the extremist that he actually is,” David Eggen said. Kenney argued parents should know when a child joins a gay-straight alliance, and school officials should inform parents.

Kenney said, “I don’t think it’s right to keep secrets from parents about challenges their kids are going through.” Kenney said he will not repeal legislation. Eggen said, “If the government is compelling people to out those students (who are) in a very compromised situation, then they’re only serving to make the situation even worse.”

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is an AUSU Councillor. He works with various organizations, and runs In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, and In-Sight Publishing.