Professor Brenda Macdougall, academic delegate for Indigenous engagement and director of the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies, spoke with the Gazette on the initiatives taken since the Indigenous Action Plan (IAP) was released in 2020 and the goals and dreams that are emerging.
The framework for the Indigenous Action Plan and the action items within each “hoop” (as the sections were called) were developed based on both formal and informal discussions with various stakeholders from both on and off campus. The Indigenous Education Council (comprised of members from several nearby First Nations), the Ottawa Metis Council, Tungasuvvingat Inuit, the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition and undergraduate and graduate student representatives were part of these discussions, as well as uOttawa staff and professors.
Why did Indigenous Affairs decide to do a consultation after releasing the Indigenous Action Plan?
Releasing the IAP amid the COVID-19 pandemic meant that we were unable to work as closely with services, faculties and sectors on campus as we’d have liked, or aid in the development plans and ideas in relation to the framework.
The consultations were an opportunity to gain some insight into how the University community was collaborating with the IAP and have led to building and developing new action items, getting a sense of what has been accomplished and setting new goals, and have deepened our relationships to the services and faculties.
Could you share with us some preliminary findings of your consultations?
The influence of Indigenous staff
It became clear that there were various stages of engagement across campus. However, there was an overarching theme of goodwill towards, and hope for fulfilling, the IAP vision. Where faculties and sectors have hired Indigenous faculty and staff, the work is happening naturally. Indigenous faculty and staff are building new courses, developing strong relationships to create new (or sustain existing) research programs, and generally take the lead in decolonizing and Indigenizing processes where they work.
While there is similar work happening in sectors without Indigenous faculty or staff, the pace can be a bit slower and less organic, as well as lacking the authenticity, experience and connections that Indigenous employees bring with them.
Communications strategy
There are still people on campus that are unaware that we exist or how to access our services. We need to develop a broader communications strategy and consider other strategies, such as welcoming emails to new faculty and staff and newsletters for the community to access.
Need for physical and social space
Perhaps the biggest highlight was a consistent message about the need for space — whether physical or social — to ensure Indigenous faculty and staff can build community with one another and with the external local Indigenous communities. We want Indigenous-focused spaces, where we can discuss our work, share ideas and build connections across sectors and disciplines.
Ideally, a long-term goal has to be the construction of a building for Indigenous people, to serve as a focus for research projects with the appropriate infrastructure and house a space for social events as large as a round dance and as intimate as a research meeting spaces, one that is accessible to the public.
How can uOttawa community members engage in the Indigenization process?
The easiest means is to reach out to us at the Indigenous Affairs office and connect with Tareyn, Brenda or Darren. We all have community contacts and are more than happy to first determine needs, then work with you to build the right connections.
For example, when the School of Social Work wanted to begin working on their curriculum and pursue a hiring strategy, we assisted by helping them build an Indigenous advisory circle made up of local First Nations social workers, community members and alumni with whom they could consult, strategize and plan. As a result, they now have a new Indigenous professor and strong relationships with several agencies, communities and organizations.
We’ve undertaken similarly successful projects with other faculties and departments. And sometimes, we’re simply here for a conversation — people already have ideas and goals and simply need someone to talk to as they work through the ideas.
We are here to support all of this work regardless of stage of thought.