"F" is for History

Your history is history, did we even stop to wave good-bye?

One of the nagging concerns of Community Linkages has always been the next generation of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Our wish for them to be proud and knowledgeable of their cultural history. Armed with that knowledge we wish for them to be innovative just as the mariners of the past became the steelworkers of New York.

With that believe Community Linkages has always stressed the importance of history as a part of our educational curriculum. Recently a couple members of Community Linkages attended a conference at Memorial University examining Newfoundland and Labrador's place in Canada on the 60th anniversary of Confederation with Canada. There was one valuable piece of take away information from that conference: We as Canadians need to know more about each other. We don't know about ourselves, we don't know about Canada, we don't teach our relationship in joining Canada and Canada knows next to nothing about us.

The Dominion Institute investigated each province's study of Canadian History. The highest grade for their study of history? Yes, of course it is Quebec. The poorest grade was given to - sadly you probably guessed that too: Newfoundland and Labrador. For me the biggest crime is in scoring of educating our youth as to the regional history of our overall place in Canada.

The only conclusion that can be drawn is one that validates the conclusion of the Memorial University converence on 60 years in Canada and the perpetual concerns of the CLCC: We don't know about ourselves, we don't teach our relationship in joining Canada and Canada knows next to nothing about us.

Is this good enough? Is the curriculum of Canadian and especially Newfoundland and Labrador history and culture adequate? Once again we are failing our children, once again Newfoundland and Labrador is an embarrassment in a national study, in the very subject we claim to wear most honourably.

What is our history and culture worth? Apparently very little.

Quebec's report card and detailed report.

Newfoundland and Labrador's report card and detailed report.