The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation brings that responsibility into focus. September 30 is a day of memory and justice for the children who never returned home, survivors of residential schools, their families and all those still affected by colonial laws and policies. It also reminds us that reconciliation must move beyond commitments to sustained, accountable action.
Creating pathways and support for Indigenous students
For Indigenous students, belonging starts before the academic year begins.
In 2025–2026, the first year the tuition waiver for students from the Algonquin Nation was fully implemented, 53 Algonquin students were enrolled, compared with 11 the previous year. Enrolment has fluctuated in the past, so continued monitoring will be needed to understand the waiver’s longer-term impact.
Once students are on campus, support takes different forms. Through the Mashkawazìwogamig Indigenous Resource Centre, students can connect with culturally responsive services, including an Indigenous counsellor. Thanks to generous support from Mike and Colleen Hoyer and Chris Lefebvre, the Bamenimàwàn Fund provides additional financial assistance. Dedicated student spaces in the Learning Crossroads and the Faculty of Medicine also provide places to connect and build community.
Changing how the University works
After six years of work under the Indigenous Action Plan, some institutional changes remain less visible from the outside, but they affect how Indigenous people participate in university life and how their contributions are recognized.
A policy and procedure for hiring Indigenous faculty members, developed over nine years, is expected in 2026–2027.
Other changes are bringing Indigenous perspectives to the University’s decision-making structures. The reconstituted Standing Committee on Indigenous Engagement provides a University wide forum for coordination and oversight of the Action Plan.
“Universities and scholarship, in general, have directly contributed to colonization. Universities shaped which knowledge counted, which histories were taught and which voices were heard. As we move on the path to reconciliation, we want to partner with First Nations, Metis and Inuit Peoples in research and knowledge and support the revitalization of their knowledges, languages and cultures,” says Marie-Eve Sylvestre, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa.
“As we move on the path to reconciliation, we want to partner with First Nations, Metis and Inuit Peoples in research and knowledge and support the revitalization of their knowledges, languages and cultures.”
Marie-Eve Sylvestre
— President and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa
Bringing Indigenous knowledge into teaching and research
Changes in classrooms, programs and research spaces matter because universities, scholarship and academic knowledge systems have also played a role in colonial histories.
The Civil Law and Common Law sections have mandatory Indigenous law courses, complemented by land-based and experiential learning. Medicine is integrating Indigenous cultural safety and anti-racism into medical education. The faculty is also integrating Indigenous health throughout its curriculum, while Health Sciences is mapping Indigenous content across programs.
Arts is moving its introductory Indigenous studies course online, with plans to make the English course available across campus. Science continues to support Indigenous STEM programming through the University of Ottawa Alliance Supporting Indigenous Science Students (uOASISS), seminar activity and paid summer research internships, while Engineering is advancing Indigenous-focused outreach, bridge and pathway programs, and participation in STEM initiatives. Social Sciences has introduced Indigenous mentorship and is developing resources for land-based learning.
Research is another area where the plan is taking hold. The Library has supported OCAP (ownership, control, access and possession) training with the First Nations Information Governance Centre and contributed Indigenous data-governance perspectives to Policy 117 on information classification and handling. Discussions are also underway on future institutional guidance for Indigenous research and data protocols.
Making First Nations, Metis and Inuit presence part of campus life
Some changes are becoming part of everyday campus life.
At the O-Train station entrance to campus, a mural co-produced by Indigenous artists is expected to be completed this fall. Indigenous art is also being incorporated into other spaces, while the Algonquin word nàbowàdjigewogamig (library or reading place), introduced at the Management Library, is expected to be introduced at other campus libraries.
Indigenous perspectives are also being brought into campus planning. The new campus residence project by Two Row Architects has included consultations with First Nations, Métis and Inuit faculty, staff and students, as well as members of Kitigan Zibi. The Office of Indigenous Affairs is also participating in advisory committees for new buildings.
Beyond campus, relationships are growing through youth outreach, community visits and learning opportunities. Engineering and Telfer, for example, are helping connect Indigenous youth with university learning, while relationships with knowledge keepers continue through Mashkawazìwogamig.
After six years, these actions are showing progress, but also the need to be clear about where the work stands.
Transparency is part of that responsibility: being clear about what is changing, what is emerging and what still needs to be built.
As the uOttawa community marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, that commitment continues through listening, learning and action, and through the relationships needed to sustain change over time.
