Winnipeg School Division apologizes over message displayed during professional development day

The superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) has apologized over a message displayed during a professional development day on Wednesday.

The in-service day took place at the Canada Life Centre, with about 5,000 WSD staff attending the event. Chris Emdin, a Columbia University professor, was the keynote speaker at the professional development day. During the keynote presentation, the scoreboard displayed the statement, “Resistance to colonialism is not terrorism.”

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In a message to staff obtained by CTV News Winnipeg, Winnipeg School Division Superintendent Matt Henderson apologized for any harm that was caused. He explained that some staff interpreted this message to be about the war in the Middle East but noted that the presentation was focused on Indigenous education and equity.

"Excusing terrorism by trying to downplay it and reframe it as resistance to colonialism cannot be the lessons we pass on, and the speaker’s view does not reflect the views of the leadership of WSD in this context, Henderson wrote. "My immediate action is to send a formal apology to all of you and assure you all that our focus is on, and must be on, Indigenous education, reconciliation, and equity for all. There is no equity in terrorism."

Henderson said he would be speaking with his team and with Emdin to ensure "future messaging is consistent with our mission and values and support of all communities."

In a post on his social media, Emdin said he spoke “very specifically about colonial teaching practices and students sometimes intimidating/aggressive responses.” He added that any other interpretation of the statement is “intellectually dishonest and a gross misrepresentation of the sentiments.”

In an emailed statement Thursday, Emdin clarified his position.

"The quote was intended to challenge the ways that we as educators, often interpret students' resistance to traditional teaching methods. Labeling or treating their frustration or pushback as unreasonable, violent, unjustified or a reflection of their incapacity to be good citizens frames them as "terroristic" - this is not only harmful, but also deeply misguided," he wrote.

Emdin also noted his speech came two days following the first anniversary of the Oct 7 attack in Israel, and tensions remain high.

"If the quote in any way conjured up any feelings of harm or hurt, please accept my deepest apologies," he wrote. "Let us view that hurt as a reflection of the feelings our marginalized students hold daily. As I mentioned during the lecture, trauma abounds for us all and we must reach/teach each other being deeply aware of how this trauma shows up in our responses to each other, what we see, or what we hear."

Edmin's full statement can be read below.

Teachers walk out of presentation

CTV News Winnipeg was told roughly a dozen teachers walked out of the presentation when the slide was displayed on the screen.

One of the teachers, who asked not to be named, said they felt the statement was "an anti-Semitic comment disguised as a conversation around curriculum and teaching."

"October 7 was just a couple of days ago, and to have absolutely zero consideration or thought about what that comment would mean for anybody, whether you're Jewish or Palestinian or Muslim or Arab, to have absolutely zero consideration for how that would trigger some people is just not okay," the teacher, who is Jewish, said.

The teacher added, "That comment about resistance and terrorism didn't fit with what we were led to believe this talk was going to be about, nor was this the place to make a comment."

The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and the Centre For Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also criticized the statement, saying it has been used in contexts related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and used to justify acts of violence perpetrated by Hamas and Hezbollah.

"This statement is particularly problematic because it implicitly justifies acts of violence and terrorism as a means to an end. This is a horrifying stance, as the loss of life and the infliction of fear and suffering should never be justified, regardless of the context," they said in a news release. "Terrorism, by its very nature, targets innocent civilians and causes immense harm and trauma to its victims."

The Jewish Federation said it contacted the Winnipeg School Division with its concerns, and asked for an apology.

The teacher said they're hoping the division will take a closer look at who the division brings in as a keynote speaker to professional development days.

"The person who's speaking or giving a message needs to be an educator who understands our needs, who understand what we stand for in the Winnipeg School Division," they said. "And if equity is one of those things, then we need to be equitable to all staff, and then that means you need to be much more conscious of who it is you are inviting to speak." 

Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, said the quote was taken out of context.

“The speaker didn't say anything about Palestine or Israel. Not everything is about the conflict in the Middle East,” he said.

Zeid said he was concerned the school division put out an apology to the statement.

"The word terrorism isn't specific to the Middle East conflict," he said.

Gustavo Zentner, with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said regardless of context he believes the quote is problematic.

"It is alarming and triggering," he said.

"To say that resistance to colonialism is not terrorism, gives permission. Terrorism, by its very nature, targets innocent civilians, and it causes immense harm and trauma to its victims," Zentner added.