Teaching Canadian History in BC Schools: Exploring the Dark and Brighter Chapters

April 4, 2025 TruthUSA

Commentary

President Trump’s tariff war has heightened tensions between Canada and the United States. Many Canadians are demonstrating their support for our country by displaying Canadian flags and purchasing Canadian products.

Part of national pride involves comprehending the history of our country, both the positive and negative aspects. This necessitates providing students with an accurate and well-rounded understanding of Canadian history. Unfortunately, this is not as common in our public schools as it should be. Instead, many schools propagate a distorted version of Canadian history that emphasizes our failures rather than our achievements.

For instance, the Eby government’s K-12 Anti-Racism Action Plan begins by acknowledging that “Systemic racism and settler colonialism have influenced our province for generations” and that schools carry a “significant responsibility in combatting the systemic and interpersonal racism that still exists within the education system today.”

Statements like these explain the emphasis on negative events in Canadian history within the B.C. social studies curriculum. For example, the Grade 5 curriculum mandates learning about discriminatory government policies from the past such as residential schools, the Chinese head tax, the Komagata Maru incident, and the wartime internment of various groups.

The Grade 9 and Grade 10 social studies curricula also include requirements to study past discriminatory policies, repeating the same examples. Consequently, B.C. teachers adhering to the curriculum will educate students about these dark periods in our history at least three times during their schooling.

Regrettably, the B.C. social studies curriculum guides offer limited guidance on positive aspects of Canadian history. While students are expected to understand concepts like “Canada is comprised of diverse regions and communities,” there is no specific list of significant Canadian accomplishments that all B.C. students must be familiar with.

Essentially, although some diligent history teachers may ensure that students learn about positive events in our history (such as aiding American slaves during the Civil War, substantial contributions in both world wars, and standing against apartheid in South Africa), the B.C. curriculum does not explicitly mandate it. In fact, teachers could present a skewed version of history without contradicting the social studies curriculum.

Certain textbook publishers seem to align with this narrative. For example, “Righting Canada’s Wrongs” is an eight-volume “anti-racism” resource that exclusively focuses on past instances of discrimination in Canadian history, including those mentioned multiple times in the B.C. social studies curriculum.

Not surprisingly, the publisher proudly states on its promotional website that “Righting Canada’s Wrongs” “supports history and civics curriculums,” which is particularly applicable in B.C. due to the curriculum’s emphasis on these topics.

Clearly, the B.C. social studies curriculum does not offer a comprehensive and balanced depiction of Canadian history. People will not take pride in our country if they perceive it as a genocidal state built on settler colonialism. While Canada has made mistakes, there are also numerous positive aspects of our history that are worth exploring.

In essence, the fact that our country exists demonstrates the ability of individuals from diverse backgrounds to collaborate. Our first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, excelled at bridging the gap between English Protestants and French Roman Catholics. Despite his flaws, Macdonald had a vision for a country that would eventually stretch “from sea to sea.”

To resist being overshadowed by the United States, we should avoid disparaging our own country and ensure that students learn about the positive aspects of Canadian history, not just the negative.

Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher and a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Source link