Robert-Falcon Ouellette: “Reconciliation must enter the everyday life of the institution”
Robert-Falcon Ouellette, who is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education and member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, brings a uniquely diverse career to his role at uOttawa. Over the years, he has served nearly three decades in the Canadian Armed Forces, represented Winnipeg Centre as a Member of Parliament, and completed a PhD in anthropology at Université Laval.
At the University of Ottawa, his work brings together Indigenous education, language, public life and community. He was drawn to uOttawa by its bilingual environment and the opportunity to influence how future teachers understand Indigenous realities. “Teachers shape how young people understand this country,” he says. “They shape whether Indigenous children see themselves in the classroom, and whether non-Indigenous students learn the truth of these lands.”
“Teachers shape how young people understand this country. They shape whether Indigenous children see themselves in the classroom, and whether non-Indigenous students learn the truth of these lands.”
Robert-Falcon Ouellette
— Professor, Faculty of Education
In the classroom, Ouellette encourages students to move beyond surface-level understandings and engage with the depth and diversity of Indigenous knowledge systems. He highlights the richness of Indigenous education, from languages and governance to land-based knowledge, law, humour and resilience. A key part of his work has been strengthening the presence of these perspectives in teacher education, particularly in French-language programs, where he notes important gaps remain.
A grounding in relationships and responsibility
The support of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, colleagues, students and community members have been the foundation of Ouelette’s work, recognizing that Indigenous work in a university cannot be done alone, and progress requires more than symbolic gestures. “Reconciliation cannot remain a statement on a website: it must enter the everyday life of the institution.”
Seeing his role as a bridge between Indigenous knowledge systems and university structures, he calls for continued action, particularly in teacher education. “This is not extra knowledge; it is basic knowledge for teaching in Canada,” he says.
Kanatase Horn: “Creating space to rethink justice and relationships”
Kanatase Horn, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences in the Department of Criminology and member of the Mohawks of Kahnawà:ke, brings both community-rooted and urban Indigenous perspectives to his work at uOttawa. With family ties to Kahnawà:ke and Kanehsatà:ke, his experiences shape a research and teaching approach grounded in connection and responsibility.
In both his teaching and research, Horn focuses on Indigenous experiences with justice systems and the ways communities advocate for change. Since joining the University in 2022, he has developed courses that challenge students to think critically about these issues and about Indigenous self-determination.
For Horn, the most immediate impact of his work is felt in the classroom. Many students, he notes, encounter an Indigenous professor for the first time in his courses—an experience that can deepen their connection to the material and ground their learning in lived realities. “It changes how students engage with the material when it’s grounded in lived realities,” he says.
“It changes how students engage with the material when it’s grounded in lived realities.”
Kanatase Horn
— Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences
Building connections and challenging systems
Through his work with the Department of Criminology’s Committee for Decolonization and Indigenous Resurgence, Horn is helping to reshape how Indigenous perspectives are embedded in the program. From supporting partnerships with communities to increasing Indigenous content in courses, the committee’s efforts have already contributed to making Indigenous-focused learning a core part of the curriculum.
His work also pushes students to think differently about justice systems. Rather than seeing Indigenous peoples only through inequity or overrepresentation, he encourages students to recognize the ways Indigenous communities have long been at the forefront of change—developing new approaches, advocating for justice and asserting self-determination.
National Indigenous History Month: Between hope and reflection
Ouellette emphasizes that National Indigenous History Month should be a time of hope as much as reflection. While it is essential to acknowledge difficult histories and tell the truth, Indigenous peoples cannot be defined by trauma alone. Indigenous languages, ceremonies and communities remain vibrant, carried forward by younger generations who continue to learn, create and ask questions.
It is also a moment to better understand the present. As both professors highlight through their work, the impacts of colonialism are ongoing and continue to shape institutions and everyday realities. Recognizing this is essential, not as an issue for Indigenous communities alone, but as a shared responsibility across the University and beyond.
In that sense, reconciliation, though challenging, also holds the potential for meaningful change. It calls for honesty, stronger relationships and a willingness to act—within institutions and in everyday roles—to ensure that Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous children are seen, valued and celebrated.