In honour of Louis Riel Day coming up on November 16th, F.W. Johnson Collegiate in Regina is flying the Metis flag for the entire month of November.
Principal Shannon Fayant says it’s important to celebrate the diversity F.W. Johnson has in the school.
“We have about 143 indigenous people,” Fayant said. “I am Metis, we have a few teachers here that are Metis, but we also have diversity in our culture at F.W. Johnson.
“A couple of years ago, we raised the Treaty 4 flag, and now we feel that it’s time to honour or Metis community by raising the flag.”
Fayant says when she started her teaching career, she hoped a day where the Metis flag flew at her school would come.
“Even 15 years ago, we hoped for even the Treaty 4 flag, and the Treaty 4 to be recognized because Metis people were a part of that treaty journey and are part of the treaty negotiation,” Fayant said. “We played a role in that, so I think for (Monday), I thought about it this morning, and I thought ‘jeez, this is a big deal.”
Fayant says while things are getting better, a better job needs to be done when it comes to educating the public on the contributions Metis people have made.
