Quebec high school history books should be removed from classrooms, independent study says

According to an independent study commissioned by the English Montreal School Board, textbooks in high school history in Quebec do not adequately tell the story of the province's Aboriginal and minority populations. They should be removed from the clbadrooms.

The review, conducted by three historians, concludes that textbooks used to teach Grade 3 and 4 students can not be "saved" by small changes.

"The only logical academic and pedagogical conclusion is that all of these books must be removed so that a more appropriate set of student books can be written and used by the students," concludes the 30-page report. pages.

Experts highlight their main problems with textbooks, including:

• Indigenous peoples are portrayed as "others" and antagonists, rather than as original inhabitants whose place has been colonized by foreigners and "whose own history has become inextricably linked to the world." history of Quebec and Canada ".
• The lack of development of black history. Specifically, black and native slavery is "remarkable for their absence."
• Women are relegated to "some sidebars or dissociated paragraphs in both textbooks".
• Jewish and Irish history is "neglected" and "nothing indicates that immigration has turned Montreal into a complex multicultural city".

The report, obtained by CBC News, was commissioned by the EMSB after teachers and activists expressed concern about its content during its first trial in 2015-2016. The report was first obtained by the Canadian Press.

He suggested allowing textbooks to be used until June 2021, by which time they could be replaced by a more "inclusive" document reflecting Quebec's diversity. It was presented to the members of the board of directors of the EMSB on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the EMSB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The provincial history course, which traces the history of Quebec from pre-contact to today, was originally developed under the Parti Québécois.

The PQ campaigned in 2012 on the promise to focus on Quebec's fight for nationality in the provincial curriculum.

The previous Liberal government had quietly taken steps to "better reflect the Aboriginal perspective" by modifying existing textbooks earlier this year, at a cost of $ 1.6 million.

The authors of the report are Terry Copp, professor emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University; Jennifer Lonergan, Canadian historian and executive director of the Montreal organization Artistri Sud; and John Zucchi, professor of history at McGill University.