SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Indigenization on Post-Secondary Campuses
October 3, 2023
Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to the fundamental need for Indigenous youth to see themselves reflected in Canadian society. I also speak to the leadership of post-secondary institutions in this regard and notable actions being taken by the University of Saskatchewan.
Colleagues, this past June, Métis youth leader Katherine Merrell-Anderson told the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples that she looked for signs of her Métis heritage here in Ottawa, signs of her belonging: either the Métis flag or art or other elements of home. She found none, save those in the committee room in which she was a witness.
Post-secondary institutions are responding to the omission, exclusion and absence of Indigenous identity through advocacy, relationship building and, most importantly, through the Indigenization of their campuses. Indigenization is about the identification, recognition and systemic incorporation of Indigenous worldviews, knowledge and perspectives.
Peter Stoicheff, President of the University of Saskatchewan, identified reconciliation within his institution as a fundamental commitment to be “. . . participants and leaders, not bystanders, in the greatest cultural opportunity this country has ever faced.”
The University of Saskatchewan is leading the way through collaborative policymaking, establishing learning requirements and implementing safeguards for Indigenous identity. Its institution-wide Indigenous strategy was created solely by Indigenous people, including elders, knowledge keepers and staff. Incoming students to the university’s largest college, the College of Arts and Science, now take an Indigenous learning requirement as part of their degree program. Other University of Saskatchewan colleges are preparing their own courses and requirements.
The University of Saskatchewan implemented a policy and framework to “. . . safeguard Indigenous peoples, cultures, values, and languages . . .” through identity verification as a process that fully recognizes the inherent right to self‑determination. Today, the University of Saskatchewan enrolls more than 3,300 Indigenous students — nearly 13% of the student body — a demographic representative of the larger Saskatchewan population.
Colleagues, join me in recognizing the University of Saskatchewan and all those post-secondary institutions in our country that are actively Indigenizing their campuses, as we participate in the greatest cultural opportunity Canada has ever faced. Thank you.
