Central Okanagan school trustees grappled with the final wording of the Central Okanagan Board of Education's recent public statement on Indigenous sovereignty.
At the June 11 board of education meeting, the trustees were presented with a resolution to a statement voted on in-camera and released to the public earlier this month.
While the vote was affirming a position the school board had already publicly announced, the wording reference directly reflected public comments from local Independent Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong, expressing her thoughts about residential school misinformation, and the 'colonial' legacy and its impact on Indigenous culture being misrepresented.
She claimed misinformation about our history is reinforcing a distorted narrative blanketing Canada's history in shame and reversing the progress towards a shared cultural identity.
Her comments also cited how the abolition of slavery and introduction of the rule of law were "remarkable moral advancements," and how Europeans coming to North America brought the technology, industry and expertise to help transform an undeveloped land into a modern society.
"British Columbia is not without its faults, and our history is complex, but there is nowhere I would rather live香蕉视频直播hat's why we are here. Our children, and the constituents of this riding, are not 'colonizers' or 'uninvited guests.' We are one people, united as British Columbians."
Board of Education chair Julia Fraser was critical of Armstrong's comments, saying her words "targeted some of the most vulnerable members of our school community, and we simply couldn't stay silent."
Fraser said the school district has spent decades building meaningful relationships with Westbank First Nation and other Indigenous communities across the region, which account for 3,200 students in the Central Okanagan public school system.
"These relationships helped create the foundation we stand on today 香蕉视频直播� one built on trust, respect, and a shared commitment to the success of Indigenous students," Fraser said.
In its statement, the board of education reiterated being "deeply committed to building safe, inclusive and respectful learning environments for all students and staff. We know that championing the human rights of everyone, particularly those who face discrimination, does not diminish the rights of anyone else. We hope that everyone will come to understand that together we learn."
Trustee Amy Geistlinger introduced a motion in which the wording of the resolution was altered to not include a reference to public comments made by Armstrong, and instead to simply affirm the issue was discussed in-camera, put to a vote and a statement subsequently released to the public.
Trustees Chantelle Desrosiers and Wayne Broughton questioned the need to amend the resolution, both saying it was not essentially different from the original motion concerning the school board's intent, and trustee Valene Johnson echoed their comments.
The amendment was defeated with only Geistlinger and Lee-Ann Tiede voting in favour, and trustee Lisa Guderyan abstaining. Fraser, Desorsiers, Broughton and Johnson voted against it.
The vote on the original resolution was subsequently passed, with both Tiede and Geistlinger abstaining.
The comments by Armstrong and the response from the school board were also raised by two speakers at the meeting.
Wilbur Turner, a community advocate, applauded the trustees for reaffirming their commitment to Indigenous reconciliation and advocating for our youth to learn about the history of our past.
"Reflecting on our shared past, our history is not always comfortable but this is not the time to turn away...it shows our growth, " Turner said.
He said the idea of reconciliation is more than marking a checkbox on a list of accomplishments or becoming a source for political rhetoric debate.
"We need to live the truth, to challenge injustice and to accept diversity," Turner said.
He called the school board "courageous" for publicly reaffirming its support of reconciliation and the Indigenous community.
Nicola Baker, president of the Central Okanagan Parent Advisory Council, also addressed the board on this issue, saying the parents she advocates on behalf of want their children to learn in an education environment that is safe, inclusive and respectful.
In supporting the school district's acceptance of reconciliation, Baker said her generation is learning along with their kids about the history of the Indigenous culture in B.C.
"Someone like me is learning along with our students about this history. It was never taught to me when I went to school," Baker said.
"Our students are being taught this history, and they are sitting alongside other students for which this is a lived experience."
