The Government of Canada has announced two significant investments into Indigenous students and teachers. The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) will be directing a $13.2M investment to seven Indigenous-led and community-driven programs. These programs will support the training and empowerment of 10,000 new Indigenous teachers. RHF will partner with Gabriel Dumont Institute ($1.28M); McGill University (1.98M); Mi’kmaq Wolastoqey Centre – University of New Brunswick ($2M); Seven Generations Education Institute ($2M); Blue Quills University ($2M); University College of the North ($2M); and Yukon University, Yukon First Nation Education Directorate, and First Nation School Board ($2M) to work towards this goal. “We know Canada is facing national teacher shortages and Indigenous communities are struggling enormously to recruit and retain teachers,” said RHF Director of the Indigenous Teacher Education Initiative Rachel Mishenene. “The grants support community-driven, committed education teams across Canada building robust, culturally responsive Indigenous teacher education programs.” The federal government has also announced an additional $6M in funding for Indspire’s Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries, Scholarships and Awards program. Indspire will use these funds to offer financial supports to 2,400 Indigenous students.
