School district raises First Nations and Métis flags in gesture of reconciliation

Red Deer Public Schools took an important step on Wednesday towards reconciliation.

The official flags of treaties six and seven, as well as of the Métis people were raised at the division’s headquarters in downtown Red Deer, where they will fly permanently.

Board Chair Bev Manning spoke about taking a hard look at the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report and how the division could do their part.

“Red Deer Public Schools is committed to recognizing the things that are in that report that are calls to action for education. We’ve been working on it for a while, so today we’re coming together to take another concrete step towards all those calls to action,” she said.

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“Striving for excellence by inspiring learning and nurturing hope in every student,” Manning continued quoting the division’s mission statement. “I think that’s what we want to do for every student who comes across our doorstep. It means that our classrooms need to be inclusive and recognize different cultures. You can’t nurture hope in students without recognizing who they are and where they came from.”

Nadette Agecoutay with the Red Deer Native Friendship Society says raising the flags is a wonderful gesture of reconciliation.

“Acknowledging the lands of the traditional people of this territory is really important to the people of the territory, as well as to the urban Indigenous people here,” Agecoutay said.

“There is a lot of work left to be done because we’re just beginning to see the education system teaching our history. When I went to school, we didn’t learn about our own history and I’m not that old.”

Also on hand at the ceremony was Treaty Advisor Norine Saddleback who said the spirit of raising the flags is in building bridges.

“[It’s in] collaborating our thoughts and finding unique ways in how we can come together and show our children how far Canada has come, how far Alberta has come. It is through the hard work and determination of many leaders, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous,” she explained. “I believe that 150 years was just the infant years of learning and coming together. I do want to encourage you to help understand and help our children in urban centres understand their kinship, their relationship to their identity and that’s what truth and reconciliation is — that’s what our elders fought so hard for.”

The flag-raising occurs just ahead of National Aboriginal Week and during National Aboriginal History Month.