Research Essay Draft Canada Discussion 2022

Running head: RESEARCH ESSAY DRAFT
RESEARCH ESSAY DRAFT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

RESEARCH ESSAY DRAFT1
Introduction.
One of the key issues that the Canadian Indigenous population face is the disparity in
educational facilities available to them, leading to the series of disadvantages that come
associated with the problem. A number of research into the educational sphere of Canadian
indigenous societies have revealed that in comparison with the non – indigenous Canadian
population, the indigenous students face a higher amount of exclusion and disproportionate
reception of services, facilities and amenities. As such, the outcomes associated with education
are neither fulfilled by them, nor are they able to appropriately integrate themselves into the
broader spectrum of socio – cultural and higher educational domains. The current essay argues
that the Canadian Indigenous population, despite multiple commissions and policies
implemented to ensure equitable rights and facilities for them, are still at the receiving end of
major discrimination albeit being incorporated as a part of an all – inclusive educational system,
theoretically meant to cater unbiasedly to every student.
Discussion.
The Canadian Residential schools capture one of the most significant illustrations of
Canada’s dark history emanating from the discriminatory colonial practices. Although education
was and continues to be believed as a source of bringing equality to the racially diverse strata of
people in a demographic, Gebhard (2017) states that education alone is not a strong enough
argument. Indigenization of Canadian colleges and universities became crucial to bring both the
Indigenous and the non – indigenous population to an equal footing. However, indigenization of
the educational institutions alone was not enough to overrule the centuries of racial

RESEARCH ESSAY DRAFT2
marginalization and discrimination. Drawing forth reserves of documentation and records from
the ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’, Gaudry and Lorenz (2018) assert that
indigenization is a three – fold process, involving ‘inclusion of indigenous population’,
‘reconciliation indigenization’ and ‘decolonial indigenization’. Thereby, they state that simple
incorporation and inclusion of Indigenous people into the mainstream educational system has not
been sufficient to erase the discriminatory practices and connotations associated. Historically,
factors of discriminatory practices were not limited to merely educational inequalities, but also
multiple facets of racial marginalization into different aspects of social, economic, political and
religious domains (Currie et al., 2012). Victims have also reported to being victims of abuse,
malnutrition, sexual assault as well as cultural and linguistic alienation in the residential schools
(McNeill, 2015). Therefore, providing equal educational opportunities only counter a portion of
the discrimination that the people have faced. Universities and colleges including Indigenous
students and staff members should also consider providing them with an environment (Gaudry &
Lorenz, 2018) that supports their work, based on the feedback provided by them. Gaudry and
Lorenz also state, “Inclusion policies then are seen by Indigenous faculty as processes that helps
Indigenous faculty, staff, and students adjust to the academy as it is, but as vectors to achieve
more transformative ends” (2018, p. 4). This indicates that the existing policies of inclusion,
although functional, can help achieve much more, thus supporting the primary thesis by
establishing that inclusion in educational institutions is not a sufficient to override the
discriminatory practices that span multiple social domains.
Contemporary discourse on the residential school system signify the cultural and social
connotations associated with the Canadian Indigenous / Aboriginal people. Gebhard (2017) uses
referential support from multiple documentations to reveal the social value associated with the