Winnipeg School Division apologizes over message displayed during professional development day

During a professional development day at the Canada Life Centre, the message “Resistance to colonialism is not terrorism" was displayed on the scoreboard.

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. During the keynote presentation, the scoreboard displayed the statement, “Resistance to colonialism is not terrorism.”

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In a statement, 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.

Chris Emdin, a Columbia University professor, was the keynote speaker at the professional development day.

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.”

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 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," the federation 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."