Support from the Rideau Hall Foundation will bring a five-year Indigenous teacher education program to Labrador and increase the number of Indigenous educators in Canada.

The Indigenous-led project is a partnership of the Nunatsiavut Government, Mamu Tshishkutamashutau Innu Education and Memorial University’s Labrador Campus and Faculty of Education.

The partnership will provide an expanded and modified offering of Memorial’s Inuit Bachelor of Education (IBEd.) Program, which was offered in Labrador from 2014-19.

Indigenous knowledge, language and cultural continuity

The new program will see 22 Indigenous students study at Labrador Campus and complete the three-year Bachelor of Arctic and Subarctic Interdisciplinary Studies Program, and a two-year primary/elementary degree in education.

Bringing together both Inuit and Innu cultures into one Indigenous teacher education program will serve a broader spectrum of Indigenous educational communities to more adequately address the issue of Indigenous teacher shortages across Labrador.

“Supporting Indigenous teacher education means much more than training teachers — it’s about nurturing Indigenous knowledge, language and cultural continuity,” said Rachel Mishenene, the director of the Rideau Hall Foundation and an Indigenous educator.

Students will work with elders in land-based retreats and complete language programming offered by Indigenous education authorities.

The dual culture approach represents a change in Indigenous teacher education in Labrador that addresses systemic barriers to access, creating opportunities for both Inuit and Innu students to complete a culturally relevant teacher preparation program designed by and supported within their own communities.

Truth and reconciliation

For Jodie Lane, director of education, Nunatsiavut Government, the goal has always been to prepare more Indigenous educators to serve in the community.

“We are excited to partner with the MTIE and MUN on the Labrador Indigenous Teacher Education Program. With the success of the Inuit Bachelor of Education that was offered 10 years ago, we have been looking for an opportunity to deliver it again. The Rideau Hall Foundation has helped to make that happen,” said Ms. Lane.

Kanini Davis, chief executive officer of Mamu Tshishkutamashutau Innu Education, feels the partnership contributes to the development of skilled and culturally grounded Innu educators, and helps empower future generations of Innu students through education that reflects and respects their history.

She is extending “heartfelt” thanks to the foundation for its generous grant and unwavering support of Innu education.

“We believe the Innu of Nitassinan and the Inuit of Nunatsiavut need to continue to embrace, nurture and support our unique cultures,” Ms. Davis said. “In working with the Rideau Hall Foundation, we are humbled at the prospect of developing our own to teach our own. We are proud to stand alongside the foundation in this important work, and we look forward to many more years of meaningful collaboration and shared impact.”

When Dr. Pamela Osmond-Johnson, dean of Memorial University’s Faculty of Education, returned to Memorial in 2023, she prioritized bringing teacher education back to Labrador.

She says Indigenous-led teacher education is a key component in supporting Indigenous sovereignty and revitalization and is a Faculty of Education priority with respect to its role in realizing truth and reconciliation.

“I am so pleased to be partnering with our colleagues in Labrador and the Rideau Hall Foundation to see that come to fruition,” she said.

Accelerate progress

The Rideau Hall Foundation’s $1-million investment, which is supported by the Mastercard Foundation, expands access to Indigenous-led teacher education across Canada. Twelve new Indigenous-led partnerships received $8.6 million in funding and will accelerate progress toward a shared goal of supporting 10,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis teachers.

Dr. Sylvia Moore, vice-provost, Labrador Campus, and dean, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, pro tempore at Memorial University, is extending thanks on behalf of all the collaborators for the foundation’s support.

“This program is significant for K-12 education in Labrador and for the Labrador Campus, as it will provide increased access and opportunities for Inuit and Innu students while also enriching our student population and the cohorts they will be learning with, adding to the vibrancy of our growing campus,” she said.