Learning to understand and appreciate diverse cultural perspectives, and to recognize that different cultures experience different realities, is an important aspect of becoming an engaged, thoughtful citizen in our increasingly interconnected world. This course provides students with an overview of the realities facing contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit at the community, regional, and national levels, and of the global context for those experiences. Students are given opportunities to analyse diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives on issues and events related to land, community, governance, identity, culture, and global trends. Through their investigations, students learn to determine what needs to change and why. Their exploration of the factors shaping social action, and of Indigenous approaches to leadership and governance, help students appreciate the resiliency and persistence of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures and identities in contemporary life, as well as the contribution that these cultures make to contemporary Canadian society.

This course has five strands. Strand A, Political Inquiry and Skill Development, is followed by four content strands, which are organized thematically. The five strands are as follows:

A. Political Inquiry and Skill Development

Students learn how to use the political inquiry process and the concepts of political thinking to guide their investigations of events, developments, issues, and ideas. Students constantly apply the skills and approaches included in strand A as they work to achieve the expectations in the content strands.

B. Cultural Identity and Cultural Continuity

Students learn the importance of cultural revitalization as they explore the influences of colonialism, racism, stereotyping, and cultural leadership on cultural identity and cultural continuity.

C. Community Perspectives

Students examine various political, economic, and social issues relating to the governance, administration, and development of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. Through their investigations, students develop an appreciation and understanding of community aspirations and leadership approaches.

D. National and Regional Perspectives

Students develop their understanding of political, constitutional, and legal issues affecting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit relations with non-Indigenous governments across Canada.

E. The Global Context

Students learn to situate issues facing First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities in Canada within the context of current global cultural, environmental, and social justice trends. They compare responses to these trends in Canada with responses in other countries, and explore strategies to raise awareness of issues of concern to Indigenous peoples around the world.

Educators are encouraged to refer to the general discussion of the research and inquiry process that appears in the Curriculum Context section Research and Inquiry: A Shared Process for necessary information relating to all First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies courses. What follows is a brief discussion of the political inquiry process, and the concepts of political thinking, in the context of the present course. For further information on these topics, teachers may wish to consult The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Canadian and World Studies, 2015, p. 508.

In this course, students use the political inquiry process to investigate existing and emerging issues of local, regional, and national importance to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Canada; to gather, analyse, assess, and evaluate evidence from a wide variety of sources, including Indigenous knowledge sources; to make informed judgements and reach viable conclusions; and to communicate these judgements and conclusions effectively.

As in all courses that consider events, developments, and issues from a political perspective, it is crucial that students not simply learn various facts but that they develop the ability to think and to process content in ways that are most appropriate to the material. To that end, this course focuses on developing students’ ability to apply the following concepts of political thinking:

• political significance
• objectives and results
• stability and change
• political perspective

In the context of the present course, the concept of political significance requires students to determine the impact on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and individuals of political, social, and economic actions, policies, and issues. When students apply the concept of objectives and results, they determine the factors that lead to events, policies, decisions, and/or plans of action relating to Indigenous peoples. The concept of stability and change requires students to analyse how and why political institutions and policies change or remain the same. Students apply this concept to help them determine when change is necessary and how they themselves can contribute to change, such as through civic action in support of truth and reconciliation. Finally, the concept of political perspective requires students to analyse the beliefs and values that motivate First Nations, Métis, and Inuit aspirations, as well as relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments. Students analyse how these beliefs and values affect perspectives on, and social action in response to, issues of importance to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and individuals.

It is important to note that, although students use political thinking to guide and structure the inquiry process in this course, the topics they investigate are not only political but also economic, social, and cultural. Any study of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives and realities must acknowledge the interconnected nature of the issues of greatest significance to Indigenous peoples. When Indigenous communities advocate for nation-to-nation relationships with non-Indigenous governments, for example, their goals and actions are evidently, but not exclusively, political. The assertion of the right to sovereignty/self-governance also involves the wish to have autonomy in economic decision making and to develop social institutions that reflect Indigenous beliefs and values. Similarly, when First Nations, Métis, and Inuit leaders approach global issues such as environmental protection by using strategies that reflect Indigenous knowledge, their political actions are socially and culturally motivated.