QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Study Guide
February 14, 2024
Senator Gold, I would like to draw your attention to Canada’s citizenship study guide and its content regarding Indigenous peoples. This document is foundational for many new Canadians’ understanding of our nation’s history. However, the guide provides an incomplete picture of the role of Indigenous peoples in Canadian history. It glosses over the impact of colonization; it doesn’t address the loss of language, culture, way of life, the forced removal of Indigenous people from ancestral lands and the thousands of children who died while in the care of the federal government; and, in some instances, it even justifies the use of government force.
I understand that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is currently consulting on revisions to the study guide. Senator Gold, can you please provide an update on the status of these consultations and when a revised version will be ready for release?
Thank you for your question. It’s an important one. I’m not in a position to advise on the timeline. Indeed, the consultations are very important. Many of us in this chamber are of a certain age and remember how little we were taught — and how misleading much of what we were taught was. The process of understanding our history — all of us — its consequences and in its full amplitude is an ongoing obligation for us and our future generations, and the citizenship guide and all the ceremonies are one part of that. This government is committed to doing what it can to further us along that path. I’d be happy to remind the minister of the importance the Senate attaches to this.
Just to underscore the question, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or TRC, Call to Action 93 calls upon the federal government to:
. . . revise the information kit for newcomers . . . to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Indigenous peoples of Canada, including information about the Treaties and the history of residential schools.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has stated that an exact launch date for the revised study guide, study materials and new citizenship kit has not been determined.
Senator Gold, will the government ensure that TRC Call to Action 93 happens in 2024?
Again, I don’t know the status of the consultations, much less a timeline for them. The government is committed to moving forward on each and every one of the Calls to Action. The consultations are a fundamental cornerstone of whatever changes are introduced, and I have confidence they’re being pursued diligently and the government will continue to do so.
