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Secretive? Hardly. Organizations can’t involve the entire population in every step of creating policies, or nothing would ever be accomplished.

UCP Leader Jason Kenney is playing political games when he tries to spread the phoney notion that people are being shut out of the process.

The draft curriculum puts a focus on the perspective of First Nations and Metis, from the importance of water conservation (science) to pictographs as a form of text (English language arts).

That’s something to celebrate, not fear. The Truth and Reconciliation Committee recommended making residential schools, treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ contributions to Canada mandatory educational requirements from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Students are already expected to learn about “the diversity of Aboriginal traditions, values and attitudes,” as well as “the contemporary challenges and contributions of Aboriginal peoples” under Alberta’s current social studies curriculum.

While this frame of reference is an important part of the proposed new K-4 curriculum, it isn’t the only one provided.

For example, most of the Grade 4 social studies classes will focus on such areas as who was included and excluded from decision-making before Alberta became a province in 1905, or recognizing sources of information and knowledge.

The details of what should be taught to create that skill set will always be up for debate and must be monitored to ensure they strike a proper balance. However, the process of writing the curriculum isn’t expected to be finished for all grades until 2022.

Kenney’s vow to put the revamped curriculum “through the shredder” is an overwrought response that would destroy years of work and likely completely politicize the process, the opposite of what he claims he wants to achieve.

Let’s see what the proposed update involves before declaring it a failure.

Local editorials are the consensus opinion of the Journal’s editorial board, comprising Mark Iype, Dave Breakenridge, Sarah O’Donnell and Bill Mah.