A National Embarrassment: Canada’s Failure to Teach First Nations Languages

By: Donovan Martin Sr, Editor in Chief

Let’s be honest—as Canadians, it should be a national embarrassment that First Nations languages are not a standard part of our public education system. In a country that prides itself on diversity, reconciliation, and bilingualism, it’s astonishing that the very first languages spoken on this land are still treated as optional or extracurricular.

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is absolutely right to call for change. Following the announcement of $72 million in joint federal–provincial funding to enhance French-language education in Manitoba, SCO has urged both governments to show the same commitment to revitalizing and protecting First Nations languages such as Anishinaabemowin and Dakota.

Grand Chief Jerry Daniels captured the issue perfectly when he said, “Our children deserve to learn the languages of their ancestors—Anishinaabemowin, Dakota, and other First Nations languages—as a regular part of their daily education, not as electives or afterthoughts.” His words strike at the core of the problem: Indigenous languages are the foundation of this land’s history, yet our education system continues to relegate them to the margins.

The numbers are damning. According to Manitoba’s 2021 School Survey on Indigenous Languages, only 46 of the province’s 441 schools offer any Indigenous-language program—and the vast majority of those end before high school. The inequity deepens when funding is compared. In the 2025–26 school year, Manitoba will provide about $130 per student enrolled in French immersion, while students in Indigenous-language courses receive only $14.

That gap says everything about priorities. Manitoba and Canada both claim to support reconciliation, but how can reconciliation exist when the languages that carry Indigenous identity, worldview, and history are given so little institutional support?

Grand Chief Daniels emphasized that unless funding formulas are changed, First Nations languages will continue to be treated as “cultural add-ons rather than living, thriving languages of instruction.” He’s right—and the data supports him. Manitoba’s 2024 budget allocated roughly $4.25 million for Indigenous education initiatives, including just twelve staff positions. That’s less than one percent of total education spending.

Meanwhile, at the federal level, Canadian Heritage committed $225 million to support Indigenous language promotion across Canada, but how much of that actually reaches classrooms in Manitoba remains unclear. The SCO’s own share—just over $287,000 from Canadian Heritage and $15,000 from Indigenous Services Canada—is barely enough to sustain short-term programs, let alone transform the education system.

Chief Dr. Stanley Bird of Peguis First Nation put it powerfully: “Our ancestors were the first teachers on these lands.” The knowledge encoded in languages like Anishinaabemowin and Dakota isn’t just cultural—it’s intellectual, scientific, and philosophical. To deny students access to that heritage is to deny them part of Canada’s collective identity.

This isn’t about token gestures. It’s about equality, and it’s about pride. French immersion has long been upheld as a mark of Canadian bilingual excellence. So why shouldn’t the same standard apply to First Nations languages? If anything, teaching them should be seen as even more essential—a way to understand who we are, where we live, and the peoples who shaped this nation long before Confederation.

As Canadians, we cannot keep applauding our commitment to reconciliation while perpetuating this gap in our education system. If we can teach French from kindergarten to high school, we can do the same for Anishinaabemowin, Dakota, Cree, and Dene.

Grand Chief Daniels is right to demand action. And as Canadians, we should be equally outraged that it hasn’t happened yet. Teaching First Nations languages isn’t just an act of reconciliation—it’s an act of national respect. Until these languages become a core part of every child’s education, Canada’s reputation as a fair, inclusive, and reconciled nation will remain, at best, unfinished.