The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 21, 1998 - Al 3

DOUBLE DOUBLE

Nisga’a treaty info

draws political fire

TERRACE STUDENTS are already learning about the Nisga’a treaty in advance of a new study guide which in- cludes the document,

The guide, called Shared Learnings, enraged provin- cial Liberal leader Gordon Campbell last week, saying students were being used as pawus by the NDP govern-

--ment-in.its public relations ~ cainpaign

concerning the treaty.

‘Ed Harrison, president of the B.C. social studies asso- ciation and a teacher at Caledonia Secondary, said

‘he’s discussed the treaty with his students in a cur- Tent events context,

“We. present information

to the students — we don’t present just one side,’ he said. ‘‘We don’t make up their minds.” «Skeena Junior Secondary social sludics teacher, Clint Elliot, said its an individual teacher’s choice whether to talk abou the trealy or not.

Elliot said he was going to look at. the guide but not necessarily follow it.

“What we’d likely do is get public speakers in to talk

“about both sides of the is-

suc,”” he said, For his part, Campbell said the treaty hasn’t even

Gordon Campbell

young, people into their position on the Nisga’a trealy,’’ Campbell said in an interview Oct. 15 about the learning guide.

And he said it was wrong for the province to spend an estimated $5 million on in- formation to sell the treaty and include the schools as a means of dispensing the promotional material.

Campbell said he would be glad to have school chil- dren read about the Nisga’a

‘treaty in newspapers and to

have open minded debates about the pros and cons of it,

said,

Campbell did say be bas ‘-

no trouble in talking about the need for treaties or of

“the dismal record we have

in lerms of dealing with aboriginal people and giving them a sense of hope and opportunity,”

Education minister Paul Ramsey says the guide has

lessons designed so. kinder...

garten to Grade 12 students can develop more of an ap- preciation of First Nations culture.

Ramsey says students learning about the Nisga’a treaty will be able to put the event inio an educationally- sound, historical context.

“Tthink it’s important that issues like this be discussed in our province’s class- rooms,’” Ramscy said. This kind of history is real, it’s current, it engages our stu- dents.”

Ramsey insisted he was not trying to change B.C,’s curriculum, And he’s not telling teachers what to in- struct since they can decide whetber they want to teach about the treaty or not.

“What I can do is prepare material that presents facts,

which presents historical :

background, which provides an opportunity for discus-

been passed yet. ‘T's wrong to use our schools to indoctrinate

Liberals gathering here

BC. LIBERALS here are adopting Reform-style grassroots tactics to try to make their parly listen more to the needs of northerners.

Local party organizer Linda Hawes said the party is having a northwest issues forum here on Nov, 13 where locals can help set future policics and platforms.

She said the idea is a Reform-style solu- -tion to deal with the probiem that ihe party was seen in the last election as too focussed on the south to the neglect of the north.

"Some of the policies run on last time by the Liberals didn’t fy so well in the north,” noted constituency president Derrick Curtis.

“Tf you want to govern all of the people, ©

“But this is not what the government has done,’’ he

sion of all points of view about treaty making,’’ Ram- scy said.

you’ve got to listen to all of the people,” Hawes added,

Things may get of to an early start with the visit here Oct. 27-28 of party leader Gordon Campbell. He’s planning a series of economic mectings and will be the speaker ata dinner Oct. 27 in Terrace.

Hawes said the planned Nov. 13 forum will see three Liberal MLAs from other parts of the province come here.

Recommendations and idcas coming out of the northwest forum will then be taken to a bigger northern forum in Prince George in February, Hawes said.

And what comes out of that will form the north’s submissions for the party’s 1999 ‘convention.

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