November 15, 2023

Schools across Canada took time to honour the contributions of Indigenous veterans on Indigenous Veterans Day on November 8th. Lakehead University hosted an Indigenous Veterans Day ceremony and hosted an exhibit featuring WWI and WWII photos and artifacts. The university also stated that it will create a permanent and portable exhibit honouring the contributions of Indigenous veterans through partnerships. In Calgary, students from the Calgary Catholic School Division attended a ceremony at the Field of Crosses. City News reports that these students are also working on a project to update the biography cards of veterans. In British Columbia, students in schools in Surrey and White Rock took time to remember war heroes, listen to traditional drumming and singing performances, and decorate paper poppies in commemoration of the contributions of Indigenous veterans.

A recent analysis of Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census data presents the postsecondary educational attainment and labour market outcomes of Indigenous adults aged 25 to 64. In 2021, StatCan reports that approximately half of Indigenous adults held a postsecondary qualification. Additionally, the share of Indigenous individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher had increased since the previous census. While there has been an increase in the number of Indigenous people with a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2021, the gap between Indigenous and Canadian-born non-Indigenous people continued to widen. The number of Indigenous adults with postsecondary qualifications correlated with the level of remoteness of their residence: Those living in areas with greater access to economic centres demonstrated higher rates of postsecondary completion.

At the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, youth are learning about traditions and ceremonies while helping to care for the nation’s bison herd. The First Nation recently hosted a celebration where students learned traditional Dakota teachings about Bison while sharing leftover Halloween pumpkins with the animals. The event centres on education and community-building, while finding a use for the pumpkins. Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Chief Vincent Tacan described how the bison demonstrate how standing together makes the herd strong: “They’re very much like a family group.… Family is important. Protecting each other is important in, you know, surviving and facing the adversities,” said Tacan. Shayla Elk, a Grade 10 representative on Sioux Valley’s Junior Chief and Council, said that she first learned about bison from her father and that she is now teaching her peers about bison. “When you’re getting older, you’re raised to be the next leaders. You’re the next parents, you’re the next teachers, you’re the next elders,” said Elk. “You gotta learn this stuff while you’re young.”

Alberta University of the Arts, Red Deer Polytechnic, and Saskatchewan Polytechnic have released new strategies to increase Indigenous engagement. AU Arts launched the AUArts Indigenous Pathways Soksipaitapiiwahsin (Good Living Ways), which will guide the university’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. The plan includes 10 goals for Reconcili-Actions, such as enhancing the role of the Elder Council, establishing spaces for Indigenous cultures and community, and increasing the number of Indigenous faculty and staff. On a similar theme, RDP launched its Reconcili-Action Plan, which is centered around four key points: Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Eyes, and Open Voices. The plan was designed in partnership with local communities and organizations and was released as part of the polytechnic’s Métis Week celebrations. Sask Polytech has unveiled the new 2024-2029 Indigenous Student Success Strategy – Wichitowin ahci kaskihtamâsowin ati nikan. Through this strategy, Sask Polytech aims to remove barriers to access and deliver comprehensive support to help Indigenous students succeed. It was developed in consultation with students, employees, First Nations and the Métis community.

Winnipeg School Division has asked its schools to change the venue for their graduation ceremonies from churches to an alternative space this school year in an effort to be more inclusive. The decision stems from requests it received from parents who said that they were uncomfortable with going into churches to attend events. “After we’ve begun these conversations about the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis experience across the territories, you do get to a point where you begin to wonder about the manner in which we celebrate things and the way we observe things,” said University of Manitoba Professor Frank Deer, who noted that “this might be one of the next steps in the reconciliatory journey.” Schools may use spaces such as universities or the RBC Convention Centre for high school graduations, while K-8 schools may use the division’s own spaces.

A task force at Dalhousie University has advised the institution to verify claims of Indigenous ancestry or identity made by staff and students. The task force recommended using a verification process where a status card or other documentation could be submitted, which CBC reports is similar to what has been implemented at the University of Saskatchewan and for Dal’s Faculty of Medicine Indigenous Admissions Pathway. “The university needs to take responsibility for its role and its overreliance on self-identification policies, which have left the door open to issues like Indigenous identity fraud,” said task force chair Dr Brent Young, who is Anishinaabe and was raised in Mi’kma’ki. “Now we can move forward … without the fear that this is something that the university is imposing unilaterally on Indigenous nations.” Dal told CBC that it is “committed to working through the recommendations.”

Nicola Valley Institute of Technology recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. The celebration included a grand gala night with the institute’s contributors and partners, where members of NVIT’s community engaged in an evening of reflection, gratitude, and recognition for NVIT’s journey. NVIT highlighted several key developments that are driving the institution forward: A new strategic plan immersed in the Nlaka’pamuxcin and Nsyilxcən Indigenous languages that will drive NVIT’s growth and impact, a renewed commitment to Indigenous Emergency Support Services; and a strategic partnership with the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society that will address Indigenous Early Learning & Child Care workforce needs. The celebration also included a presentation from Indigenous singer Susan Aglukark, who shared her story of resilience as she became an internationally acclaimed artist.

Two First Nations recently received surprise visits from special guests including sports players and the Stanley Cup. The chief of Lake St Martin First Nation recently invited former UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre to speak to youth in the community to motivate and uplift them. St-Pierre encouraged students to make sacrifices and work hard to achieve their goals in his talk, and took the time to sign autographs, take pictures, and speak with the students. Enoch Cree Nation’s maskêkosak kiskinomâtowikamik school received a surprise visit from the Stanley Cup and former hockey player Brent Dodginghorse. The event gave students the opportunity to see and touch the Cup in person. Dodginghorse spoke to students, encouraging them to use sports as a positive tool in their lives. “It was hard keeping it from the students and from staff,” said interim principal Tara Crouter. “We couldn’t let staff know, but we had to get waiver forms signed so we just said there was a great event that was going to happen, and we just plugged that as much as we could.”

Lethbridge College has launched the Indigenous Policing Micro-Credentials program, which will help public safety workers improve their services for Indigenous community members. The development of the program stems from conversations between Lethbridge faculty members and the Blood Tribe that identified a need to learn “more about communication and culture,” in addition to the law. The program has six individual sections which are offered fully online, covering topics such as Drugs and Addiction in Indigenous Communities; History Culture and Reconciliation; Human Trafficking; and Trust, Respect and Communication. The program is geared toward police who work with First Nations, and is also open to those who work in policing, public safety, and justice in any part of Canada.

The Prince George Metis Community Association (PGMCA) is hoping to become more involved in School District 57 to support education for the area’s Métis students. PGMCA President Sylvia Desrocher and Director Amanda Sopel requested improvements in the communications and relations between SD57 and PGMCA to address reports that the community does not feel heard. Sopel noted that the Métis community in Prince George would also like to see increased Métis culture visibility and encouraged the district to record Métis-specific data in order to gain more information on educational successes and gaps. “[W]e have the largest Indigenous student population per nation in this district,” said Sopel. “As such, we would like a more fulsome dialogue as how we as partners can assure our Metis families feel safe and seen in SD57 schools.”