Too Many Canadians Were Not Taught ALL Sides of History - One Sided Stories Have to Stop

The Treaty Map, Truth, and Reconciliation -

TRUE CANADIAN HISTORY??

I want to be clear about something first: Many Canadians born after 1990 did learn about treaties and Indigenous history in school. But for many of us, it wasn’t emphasized, revisited, or treated as foundational. It was often presented briefly, abstractly, or as something from the past... not as something that still shapes our lives today.

This really clicked for me after a link I saw on Facebook about treaties and land. Instead of brushing it off, I did what I always encourage students to do: I went to look it up myself. That search led me to the Treaty Map created by the Yellowhead Institute, and seeing it laid out visually changed how I thought about what we prioritize in Canadian education.

The treaty map shows agreements stretching across this land from 1763 to today and also shows where treaties were never made. It makes one thing very clear: Canada exists because of relationships with Indigenous Nations. Not conquest. Not total defeat. Relationships.

And that matters, because, in my perspective, and many other French Canadians' point of view as well, Canada was founded on a different idea than many other countries.

Canada was not supposed to be about conquering. It was supposed to be about working together.

Treaties were meant to be agreements to share land, resources, and responsibility... to coexist. That intention matters, even when the reality fell painfully short. When we downplay treaties in education, we also downplay one of the most important ideas Canada was built on: negotiation over domination.

One of the challenges we face today is that Canadian history is often overshadowed by American influence... in media, in politics, and sometimes even in how we talk about the past and present circumstances of our local, provincial, and federal contexts.

American history often centres on revolution, conquest, and “winning.” That narrative seeps into our thinking, even though it doesn’t actually reflect who we are.... or who we say we want to be as Canadians.

Conquering is outdated. It’s loud, simplistic, and rooted in power-over thinking.

Canada’s better story, the one worth emphasizing, is about relationships, responsibility, and repair.

This is where Truth and Reconciliation comes in. Not as guilt. Not as blame. But as a commitment to do what Canada originally claimed it wanted to do: work with Indigenous peoples, not over them or around them.

Teaching treaties more clearly, more often, and more seriously isn’t political. It’s civic education. Treaties are living agreements. They shape land use, education, governance, and how we relate to one another today. If we want informed citizens, we have to treat this knowledge as essential... not optional.

As a teacher, I don’t believe the goal is to tear down Canada. The goal is to teach it honestly and confidently.

We don’t need less Canadian identity.... we need more of it. One that is rooted in truth, partnership, and the courage to admit where we fell short while still believing we can do better.

Canada’s story doesn’t have to be about conquest. It can be about collaboration.

What We Can Do Right Now

If you are a teacher: Use tools like the Treaty Map regularly, not as a one-off lesson, but as a reference point. Let students locate themselves on the map. Encourage questions. Model curiosity. Show that learning doesn’t stop after graduation... even for adults.

If you are a parent or caregiver: Explore the treaty map with your kids. Ask what they’ve learned in school and build on it at home. Let them see that it’s okay to say, “I didn’t learn this deeply either... let’s learn together.”

If you are a reader, voter, or community member: Take ten minutes to find out whose land you’re on. Learn the treaty name. Share the resource. Push back gently when history is oversimplified or framed through conquest instead of cooperation.

Truth and Reconciliation doesn’t begin with perfection. It begins with attention.

Truth first. Then reconciliation. Then a Canada that actually lives up to its values.

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