Image retrieved from: <https://blog.ualberta.ca/the-sweetgrass-bear-c71bfab6ab2b>
Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
As we come to the end of this year, we wanted to take a look at how far we have come with efforts in reconciliation. Since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report in 2015, there has been a major focus on Indigenous issues and efforts on working toward reconciliation across Canada. Today, we will look at reconciliation efforts and initiatives in our community at the University of Alberta.
As law students, reconciliation in our faculty is important to us. Here in the Faculty of Law, we have seen an increase in the number of courses focused on Indigenous issues. Additionally, many of our courses include a component connecting the subject to Indigenous issues. Call to Action #28 calls “upon law schools to require all law students to take a course in Aboriginal people and the law.”[1] It is important to note that while more courses are being offered, there is still no requirement that students take these courses. The Faculty has also increased the number of events that have an Indigenous focus on campus.
The Faculty of Law began welcoming new students with the KAIROS Blanket Exercise three years ago. This exercise gives students a basic understanding of the impact of colonialism on Indigenous Peoples.[2] In 2019, a partnership between the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Native Studies resulted in the Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge (the “Lodge”). The Lodge is intended to address Call to Action #50, “which calls for the creation of Indigenous Law Institutes for the ‘development, use and understanding of Indigenous laws.’”[3] It appears that there is still a lot more that can be done to work toward reconciliation in our faculty, but many steps are being taken to implement initiatives in an effort to help.
Many faculties other than the Faculty of Law have also implemented a number of different efforts to work toward reconciliation. The larger University of Alberta community has also made efforts to work toward reconciliation. Many events and supports for the University of Alberta’s 1000+ Indigenous students are run through the First Peoples’ House.[4] The Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) highlights a number of initiatives supporting the University of Alberta’s Indigenous community and reconciliation. Some of these initiatives include Territorial Acknowledgements, Annual Indigenous Networking Event, Forum on Reconciliation, and councils and working groups focused on Indigenous education programs, services, and initiatives.[5]
Until Next Time,
Team ReconciliAction YEG
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[1] Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (Ottawa: TRCC, 2015), online: <https://nctr.ca/assets/reports/Final%20Reports/Executive_Summary_English_Web.pdf>.
[2] For more information on this exercise, see our post “Reflection Post: The KAIROS Blanket Exercise, View from a Facilitator” for Team ReconciliAction YEG member Sheila Raffray’s reflection on the 2019 KAIROS Blanket Exercise: <https://ualbertalaw.typepad.com/faculty/2019/09/reflection-post-the-kairos-blanket-exercise-view-from-a-facilitator.html>.
[3] Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge, “About”, University of Alberta, online: <https://www.ualberta.ca/law/faculty-and-research/wahkohtowin>.
[4] First Peoples’ House, “About Us”, University of Alberta, online: <https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/first-peoples-house/about.html>.
[5] Office of the Provost and Vice-President, “Indigenous Initiatives”, University of Alberta, online: <https://www.ualberta.ca/provost/our-initiatives/indigenous-initiatives/indigenous-initiatives-page-2.html>. Note: The Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) is currently in the process of updating their website. Limited information is available on their initiatives due to the changes.
