Kevin Lamoureux recieved a standing ovation when we was finished speaking at Timmins High School today. He made an impact on teachers and residents about Truth and Reconciliation education in Canada.

Lamoureux is the Education Lead for the National Centre Truth and Reconciliation, as well as the Associate Vice-President for Indigenous Affairs at the University of Manitoba.

One of his messages today was, when trying to teach about Truth and Reconciliation in classrooms, students should never feel guilty or shameful. The subject matter might be mature and sometimes traumatic, but the process of healing should not invoke guilt or shame, but rather acceptance that this is Canada’s past and all students can do now is try and find a solution to a problem that they didn’t create.

It’s a difficult subject to get into in classrooms, and Lamoureux sympathized with the struggle teachers may have on educating without pointing fingers or teaching without sugar-coating the trauma of the history of Residential Schools. He addressed how few students growing up even a generation ago were taught about Residential Schools and the history of First Nations people in Canada.

Lamoureux said presentations like his are important because they push through the stigmas attached to the subject of First Nations Truth and Reconciliation. One of the biggest problems with teaching kids about Reconciliation, he says, is that the subject is usually coupled with a feeling of guilt or shame. “A conversation like this is so wonderful because it gives young people the opportunity to understand that reconciliation is not an act of pity for Indigenous People, but rather an opportunity for us to contribute to a better Canada for all Canadians.”

Lamoureux also spoke of the importance of educating young kids about this issue from an early age so they can grow up aware and eager to help work towards a solution. “Now we have a younger generation that are growing up with the opportunity to understand that we’ve all inherited the wreckage of a broken relationship,” he says. “Not with a sense of guilt or shame, not with a sense of hopelessness, not with a sense of blame. But with a sense [that] we have a pathway forward. We know how to get home.”

That way home comes in different forms, but the starting point is by becoming more aware and providing more education. You can start by going to nctr.ca and getting more information on how you can educate yourself, your kids, or your classroom. Lamoureux suggested looking at works of art by Indigenous Peoples; their novels, their stories. He says giving them a voice that sounds like yours and mine can help humanize them and help kids empathize with their struggles.

Lamoureux appealed to teachers at Timmins High with stories about his own experiences, some history and mostly a clear and impassioned message that Truth and Reconciliation is a national issue and affects all Canadians. To move past it and truly achieve reconciliation with First Nations Peoples, our kids and students need to be aware and educated about this ugly part of Canada’s history. They need to understand that though our ancestors may have contributed to this problem, all we can do now is be part of the solution. To help First Nations Peoples truly heal, the entire country must heal with them and move forward with respect and understanding.