Alberta Education releases curriculum guidelines that minimize actions of Nazi Regime

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO Michael Levitt calls the guidelines shocking. "We expect the Ministry of Education to address this issue immediately."

Toronto (November 12, 2021) – Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is writing to Alberta’s Minister of Education expressing concern and requesting a review of the province’s diversity education guidelines that minimize the actions of the Nazi regime.

“It is shocking that the Alberta Ministry of Education would consider the genocidal Nazi regime as a good example of a group that had positive behaviours, given Nazis murdered six million Jews and millions of others, in addition to completely destroying their country because they initiated a war.

“In what world could collaboration or cooperation have taken place between Nazis and the groups they targeted for complete annihilation? The fact that Alberta students could have possibly been fed such an outrageous proposition is extremely troubling. We expect the Ministry of Education to address this issue immediately.” – FSWC CEO Michael Levitt

The Alberta Ministry of Education’s Guidelines for Recognizing Diversity and Promoting Respect advises that educators should include in their resources both “positive and negative behaviours and attitudes of the various groups portrayed” and have students “suggest ways in which members of these groups can collaborate or could have cooperated to bring about positive interaction and understanding of one another.”

Using the Nazis as an example, the document states, “if a video details war atrocities committed by the Nazis, does it also point out that before World War II, German government’s policies substantially strengthened the country’s economy?”

Michael Levitt, President and CEO of FSWC, issued the following statement:

“It is shocking that the Alberta Ministry of Education would consider the genocidal Nazi regime as a good example of a group that had positive behaviours, given Nazis murdered six million Jews and millions of others, in addition to completely destroying their country because they initiated a war. In what world could collaboration or cooperation have taken place between Nazis and the groups they targeted for complete annihilation? The fact that Alberta students could have possibly been fed such an outrageous proposition is extremely troubling. We expect the Ministry of Education to address this issue immediately.”

The guidelines for discussing Indian Residential Schools are also extremely disturbing.  Here is the shocking excerpt that appears on pages 8 and 9 in the guideline document:

Does the resource reveal both the positive and negative behaviours and attitudes of the various groups portrayed? For instance, if a video details war atrocities committed by the Nazis, does it also point out that before World War II, German government’s policies substantially strengthened the country’s economy? Resources dealing with world history sometimes focus on the ways in which the developed nations have exploited the developing countries. Some Canadian history print and digital resources dwell on the mistreatment of FNMI Peoples by Caucasians and do not include any examples of non-FNMI individuals or groups actively opposing this type of treatment. Without omitting or glossing over the many instances when members of one group have cruelly wronged persons of another group, the resource should attempt to provide some balance by presenting factors causing the behaviour or portraying positive qualities exhibited by members of the group that have acted inappropriately. Asking students to suggest ways in which members of these groups can collaborate or could have cooperated to bring about positive interaction and understanding of one another can be a valuable strategy.

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