In Paula MacDonald’s first year of elementary school, she could only communicate using basic hand signals.

She had yet to be properly diagnosed as Deaf, so she struggled through that first year feeling isolated from her peers and educators. She was also living with her adoptive, non-Indigenous parents in Ottawa, thousands of kilometres from her Pasqua First Nation home in Saskatchewan.

She would only come to learn about Deaf culture as a teenager and her Indigenous culture as a college student.

Ms. MacDonald — who is now an advocate for Indigenous Deaf people — told the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples about her experience growing up in an education system ill-equipped to accommodate her dual identity. She said Deaf Indigenous youth across the country continue to face a lack of employment opportunities and scarce access to interpreters in remote communities.

“There are many Deaf Indigenous and hard-of-hearing people, but often they aren’t recognized. They might live in an isolated community, and they may be struggling with school,” she said through a sign language interpreter before the committee June 7, 2023.

Ms. MacDonald was among eight young First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders from across the country who were invited to testify before the Senate committee for Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2023. The youth shared their perspectives on Indigenous education, including their experiences with mainstream school systems, traditional Indigenous teachings and barriers to pursuing higher education.

Senator Brian Francis, Chair of the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples, reflected on education as something that has been both harmful and empowering for Indigenous peoples.

“Education can inform Indigenous peoples about who we are, how we got here and where we want to go,” he told the youth. “But we cannot forget that education has also been used as a tool of colonization. In fact, this system has been used to control, repress and erase us.” 

Inuit Elder Ruth Kadlutsiak, sitting at the Clerk’s table, lights a qulliq and describes its history and use in front of Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders participants, senators, Senate staff and other guests in the Red Chamber.

The youth spent two days in Ottawa learning about the role of the Senate and meeting face-to-face with senators.

They also had the opportunity to meet with Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall. She spoke to the youth about her work advocating for Indigenous education and described her upbringing in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, Quebec.

Participants told senators about the need for more culturally appropriate education, and better opportunities for Indigenous youth.

Audrey-Lise Rock-Hervieux, an Innu woman from Pessamit, Quebec, spoke about the need to incorporate Indigenous languages into school curricula.

Katherine Merrell-Anderson, a social worker and transition coach in Edmonton, Alberta, described how she ensures her students have a sense of belonging in the education system.

Dina Koonoo of Pond Inlet, Nunavut, said the high costs of living and lack of affordable child care in northern communities make it difficult for many Inuit youth to access education.

Helaina Moses came from Mayo, Yukon, and described the devastating impact that the opioid crisis has had on the education levels and well-being of her community of Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation.

Dylan Adam, a Métis from Princeton, British Columbia, told the committee that reconnecting with his Indigenous roots has done more to help him cope with the social anxiety that he’d struggled with in school than any solution offered by a traditional education system.

“We’re referred to as the voices of the future, but we’re doing the work right now,” said Chante Speidel, from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation in Manitoba. “And our voices will only get louder as we age.”

Senators and participants of Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2023 pose in the Red Chamber. Back row, from left: Senators Michèle Audette and Brian Francis, Audrey-Lise Rock-Hervieux, Chante Speidel, Dylan Adam and Bertram Bernard. Front row, from left: Dina Koonoo, Paula MacDonald, Katherine Merrell-Anderson and Helaina Moses.

Muin Ji’j, or Bertram Bernard, of Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia, shared his experiences obtaining a Master of Business Administration degree and studying at Harvard University. He hopes to be a role model for Mi’kmaq and LGBTQ2S youth.

“If somebody told me five years ago that I would be in front of the Indigenous Peoples committee at the Senate of Canada, having graduated from Harvard Business School and with a master’s degree, I probably wouldn’t have believed them,” he told the committee. “But working hard towards your dreams can lead you anywhere.

“You never know — some day I might be on the other side of this table, listening to the next generation of Indigenous leaders sharing their stories.

View more photos from Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2023 below.

Watch Katherine Merrell-Anderson, Dylan Adam, Dina Koonoo and Bertram Bernard testify before the committee.

Watch Paula MacDonald, Helaina Moses, Audrey-Lise Rock-Hervieux and Chante Speidel testify.

Learn more about the participants of Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2023.

Senator Michèle Audette welcomes young Indigenous leaders to the Senate during the opening ceremony in the Red Chamber.

Métis Elder Reta Gordon recites a traditional prayer during the opening ceremony in the Red Chamber.

Audrey-Lise Rock-Hervieux, from Pessamit, Quebec, said she wants to see an Indigenous university in the province.“There are many of us who dream of it,” she said. “I’m aware that university programs are being developed all over the place, but unfortunately there are no infrastructures that are really adapted to our cultures and traditions.”

Dina Koonoo, an early childhood educator in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, told the committee about her community’s complex challenges with education, including teacher shortages, lack of childcare support, high food prices and the housing crisis.“When you are living in crowded spaces, it’s hard to have quiet moments to concentrate on schoolwork,” she said.

Senator Yonah Martin addresses a youth participant as senators David M. Arnot and Margo Greenwood listen.

Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2023 participants, accompanied by Senator Brian Francis, meet with Governor General Mary Simon and her husband Whit Fraser, centre, at Rideau Hall on June 6, 2023.