(above: President Chartier receives the Gold Medal from John Geiger, CEO of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society)
On November 1, President Chartier was awarded The Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Gold Medal, the Society’s highest honour. The award was presented to recognize his leadership in the creation of the Métis Nation volume of the Indigenous People’s Atlas of Canada, but more particularly, for his leadership role nationally in the dialogue on reconciliation.
The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada was created in partnership with the Métis Nation, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Assembly of First Nations, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and Indspire to ensure development of an atlas that accurately depicts the realities of First Nations, Inuit, the Métis Nation, as well as the residential school experience. As a result of the collaboration work, this atlas ensured the development of an Indigenous-focused giant floor map of Canada, as well as culturally appropriate curricula and learning resources on topics such as Indigenous languages, the history and legacy of residential schools, treaties, and Indigenous contributions to Canada. But most importantly, and in the spirit of reconciliation, this atlas and its associated materials will now be used to lay the foundation for the appropriate future inclusion of Indigenous content and perspectives in school curricula across Canada. It will seek to ensure that Indigenous voices are heard and understood.
To learn more about The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, go to:
http://www.metisnation.ca/index.php/news/the-indigenous-peoples-atlas-of-canada
