TORONTO, June 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Provincial and territorial ministers of education will be in Yellowknife, June 29-30, 2015, to host the first-ever CMEC Aboriginal Educators' Symposium. This unique event will coincide with the 104th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). CMEC Aboriginal Educators' Symposium The symposium brings together invited delegations of Aboriginal educators and Elders from across Canada to identify how to encourage more Aboriginal people to pursue a teaching career and ensure that seasoned Aboriginal educators remain in the profession — and flourish! On the agenda are keynote presentations, panels of Indigenous scholars, breakout sessions, talking circles, and Elders' sharing. Education ministers will join the proceedings on Tuesday afternoon, June 30, to hear participants' thoughts on teacher recruitment, training, and retention, in the context of Aboriginal education in Canada. You can follow the proceedings on Twitter. Our hashtag is #CAES2015. CMEC 104 CMEC 104 will give ministers the opportunity to review progress on CMEC activities and discuss a wide variety of current issues in education. Of particular note: ministers will be meeting with a representative of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRCC) to review findings and recommendations from its recently released report on the legacy of Indian Residential Schools (IRS), in particular those related to education. Media opportunities Interviews with Aboriginal scholars, Elders, and other participants in the symposium, the Acting Chair of CMEC for CMEC 104, and other ministers of education, can be arranged upon request. Members of the media are asked to contact Jacqueline McKinnon for further information about the symposium and Colin Bailey for further information about CMEC 104. Members of the media are invited to participate in a presentation by the Honourable Jackson Lafferty, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories, followed by a question and answer period. The minister will present on Aboriginal education and on the CMEC Aboriginal Educators' Symposium and its invited guests and Indigenous scholars. WHEN: Thursday, June 25, 2015 TIME: 11:00 a.m. MT WHERE: Media Room Legislative Assembly DIAL-IN INFO: 1-866-969-8429 CID: 7007230 About CMEC Founded in 1967, CMEC is the collective voice of Canada's ministers of education. It provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels and contributes to the exercise of the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories over education. For more information, visit us at www.cmec.ca .
Jacqueline McKinnon Manager, Public Affairs and Communications Department of Education, Culture, and Employment Northwest Territories Cell: 867-446-6002 Tel.: 867-920-6222 E-mail: Colin Bailey Director, Communications CMEC Cell: 416-938-1911 Tel.: 416-962-8100, ext. 259 E-mail: Twitter: @CCMEC
