Janice Thompson is the Program Head for the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP). SUNTEP is a four-year, fully accredited Bachelor of Education program offered by the Gabriel Dumont Institute in cooperation with the Ministry of Advanced Education, the University of Regina, and the University of Saskatchewan. Prospective students can find campuses located in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Regina. The education program is designed around Métis education, cultural revitalization, and language reclamation. The program’s foundations are centered around relationships, academic and personal supports, and land-based learning. Currently, SUNTEP is the only post-secondary academic program in the country that offers Michif as an approved language credit. Thompson believes that, like First Nations education, Métis education needs to be mandated by the province so that Métis history, identity, language, and culture are no longer an after-thought. Equality in education means that our education system must be inclusive of all Indigenous groups, Inuit, Métis, and First Nations, and be mandated by our provincial government.
