McGill University is hosted Indigenous Awareness Weeks 2024 from Thursday, September 19th to Wednesday, October 2nd!
This year, we welcomed international Indigenous scholars, academics, and professionals to our campus.
Monitoring and implementing McGill's Truth and Reconciliation 52 Calls to Action
As a national and global academic leader, McGill University firmly believes it has a crucial role to play in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada鈥檚 Calls to Action. McGill is committed to heeding the call of the TRC by engaging and collaborating with Indigenous communities and their Elders to identify, explore and advance ideas, initiatives and plans that will embed Indigeneity in the life and activities of the University while seeking to enhance the presence and success of Indigenous students, faculty and staff at McGill.
To this end, the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) struck a Task Force on Indigenous听Studies and Indigenous Education which released a final report in 2017 with fifty-two specific Calls to Action. This is how the Indigenous Initiatives unit听came to be.
听Roles & ResponsibilitiesThe Office of Indigenous Initiatives is officially tasked with the initiation of the implementation of the 52 Calls to Action from the Final Report of the Provost Task Force, this administrative department plays a听much broader role.听 As the institutional steward of McGill鈥檚 vision for Indigeneity, Indigenous Initiatives' multifaceted responsibilities strengthen awareness and alignment of听various ongoing Indigenous initiatives touching all dimensions of McGill鈥檚 mission as a post-secondary institution.
In addition to its core role in supporting Indigenous student and faculty success and research,听the unit ensures that Indigeneity is embedded in all facets of university life. This includes teaching and learning, curricular developments, governance, student life, faculty recruitment and development, human resources, campus space and planning, and research and innovation. Indigenous Initiatives听supports the effectiveness of efforts in all these areas through coordination and听 guidance with Indigenous community advisors and cross-campus liaison.
听Flagship Initiatives and ProjectsIn response to听, the Office of the Provost created the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. The unit's oversees and provide checks and balances on the Calls to Action that emerged from the Provost's 2017 Task Force Final Report.
The Report outlines 52 Calls to Action aimed at听increasing university access for Indigenous peoples, improving the experiences of Indigenous students, faculty, and staff, and further developing McGill鈥檚 relationships with communities in Quebec. One of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives' flagship projects is to monitor how different faculties, departments, and units across the university are implementing the Calls to Action.
View the status of the 52 Calls to Action here.听
The First Peoples' House (FPH) is the student-facing unit within the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, overseen by the Associate Director of Indigenous Student Success.
They are the the core of Indigenous student support and wellness at McGill. FPH provides a space for Indigenous students to connect with each other, and offers.a variety of events and cultural programming.
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The Hochelaga Rock is an enduring historical marker of Indigenous history and settler-Indigenous people鈥檚 interactions on the island of Montreal and its hinterland. The Rock marks the historical ties and use of the land by Indigenous peoples.听
Through a collaboration between Indigenous Initiatives and the Campus Planning and Development Office (CPDO),听the Hochelaga Rock听was relocated听to a more prominent site on the lower campus of McGill in the summer of 2016. The Provost鈥檚 Task Force was publicly launched with a ceremony at this site on September 22, 2016. On June 21, 2017, National Indigenous Peoples' Day, there was a ceremony at the Hochelaga Rock to mark the submission of the Task Force Final Report on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education.听
Call to Action #18 discusses the design of the landscape around the Hochelaga Rock. The CPDO听included this Call to Action in the campus Master Plan (2019).听Hochelaga Rock has been identified as a key element of Indigenous representation on campus in line with the Task Force report.
Learn more about physical representation on the Calls to Action page.
In recognition of the importance of building respectful and reciprocal relations with Indigenous nations, the Task Force called听on McGill to:听
Flying the Hiawatha Wampum Flag, as well as the flags of other Indigenous nations in Quebec, on National Indigenous Peoples' Day and on the day of McGill's Pow Wow is now an established and normalized practice as a symbolic gesture to promote reconciliation.听
Read a McGill Reporter about the flag raising ceremony.
Learn more about physical representation on the Calls to Action page.
Watch the 2023 flag-raising ceremony here:听
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McGill's Master Plan was adopted by the Board of Governors in 2019. It establishes the principled framework to ensure that the university鈥檚 physical resources help further McGill鈥檚 priorities and mission.
Indigenous representation is an important part of the Master Plan. McGill acknowledges that the downtown campus is located on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg nations. It is the intention of the plan to honour, recognize and respect these nations, particularly the Kanien鈥檏eh谩:ka, as the traditional stewards of the lands and waters on which the campus is located. The Master Plan supports McGill in building relationships and collaborating with communities, and provising suitable cultural space on campus for Indigenous students, staff and faculty.
Please visit the Indigenous Representation section in to learn more.
Both the 2017 Final Report of the Provost鈥檚 Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education and the 2019 McGill Master Plan听have addressed the need and opportunity for Indigenous representation on campus.听
The Working Group is tasked with the formulation of guiding principles and best practices to address these imperatives in the context of the large-scale campus development and re-development activities that will take place over the coming years. Such recommendations should reflect feasibility in terms of implementation and long-term sustainability.
Areas of focus include, but are not limited, to the following:
In fulfilling this mandate, the Working Group will consult broadly across the University community and will also engage local Indigenous communities and draw from the experiences and knowledge in this regard of peer institutions across North America. The Working Group will be guided in its task by the:
The Working Group on Indigeneity in Infrastructure Planning and Development will submit its final report to the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) and the Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance) by 31 March 2021.
In February 2021, McGill held a event with other Canadian universities to complement the Working Group's discussions. The Working Group heard presentations from Queen's University, Western University, and the University of Toronto.
The New Vic Project plans to transform a portion of the site of the former Royal Victoria Hospital into a hub for innovation in sustainability, education, and public policy. McGill is exploring ways in which Indigenous representation can be part of the New Vic Project.
For more information, please visit the .
The role of the IAC Steering Committee stems from Task Force鈥檚 Call to Action #51, which calls upon McGill to, 鈥渃reate a formal Indigenous Advisory Board or Indigenous Education Council with a defined mandate, whose composition includes community leaders and stakeholders at McGill.鈥�
The McGill IAC will provide advice on matters pertaining to Indigenous educational initiatives and guidance on the University鈥檚 relationships with First Nations, Inuit and M茅tis communities.
The Steering Committee is comprised of a team of Indigenous faculty members, staff and community advisors committed to embodying and employing, in their work and relations with each other and with the wider McGill community, the values of the core cultural teachings of Kah鈥檔ikonhri:io (The Good Mind) and the Seven Grandfather Teachings.
For a complete list of the Terms of Reference and more information, please visit this webpage.
As specified in Call to Action #13, McGill University is launching the Indigenous Tuition Initiative for Fall 2024 onwards, "Implement(ing) a student funding model similar to the Haudenosaunee Promise at Syracuse University, which provides tuition and mandatory fee waivers for Indigenous learners from proximate territories".听
Commencing in the Fall of 2024/25 academic year, McGill will be providing the equivalent of the cost of tuition and mandatory student fees to eligible students identified within the policy and procedure. This initiative is an expression of McGill's desire to engage in relationship-building, partnership, and collaboration with Indigenous communities.听
To learn more about the policy, eligibility, and frequently asked questions, please visit the Indigenous Tuition Initiative webpage.听鈥嬧��
In January 2023, a Working Group was formed to guide the development of policies and procedures related to verifying Indigenous citizenship claims in employment-related opportunities at McGill. Over the next several months, the ICVERO Working Group will set out to achieve a draft policy and set of procedures that will guide the University in this process.
This work extends from Calls to Action #44 and #52, outlined in McGill鈥檚 Provost Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education. These calls, which outline specific targets for increasing the number of Indigenous faculty and staff at McGill, are essential to McGill's response to Truth and Reconciliation. In order to achieve these targets, McGill recognizes the need for an institutional mechanism that both prevents fraudulent claims to Indigeneity and responds to the broader calls of Indigenous Peoples across Canada asking that universities move beyond processes that rely heavily on self-identification in Indigenous hiring.
To learn more about the听ICVERO Working Group and its progress, please visit this webpage.
The role of the Indigenous Citizenship Verification for Student-Related Opportunities (ICVSRO) Working Group is to provide strategic advice on the development of policies and procedures related to McGill鈥檚 commitment to ensuring that positions and opportunities for Indigenous students are distributed to them as intended.
The ICVSRO sets out to achieve a draft policy and set of procedures that will guide McGill in verifying claims to Indigenous citizenship in student-related opportunities and material benefits.
In achieving this goal, the ICVSRO Working Group will undertake to create a policy that aligns with the Indigenous Citizenship Verification in Employment-Related Opportunities (ICVERO), to not create a double standard, but will also ensure to honor the differences in outcomes.
For a complete list of the Terms of Reference and more information, please visit this webpage.
Facilitating Transactions for McGill Partnerships with Indigenous Partners
In keeping with McGill University鈥檚 priority to support reconciliation, facilitate and promote University partnerships with indigenous businesses and community members in order to contribute to the economic development of indigenous communities.
As McGill University seeks to build long-term relationships with indigenous community members and businesses, this project aims to restore, promote, and facilitate the collaboration between McGill University and Indigenous partners by adapting related administrative processes to accommodate the unique circumstances of indigenous partners. This also involves building capacity for compliance with these processes among University community members and indigenous collaborators (existing and potential).
For the last 200 years, McGill University has unequivocally benefited from the dispossession of Indigenous lands and resources in its journey to becoming the world-class institution it is today.听 In crossing the threshold into its 3rd听century of existence, McGill University very earnestly seeks in the spirit of Truth & Reconciliation to renew relationships with Indigenous peoples, in particular the local Kanien鈥檏eh谩:ka (Mohawk) Nation as well as the ten other nations across the landmass comprising what is now the Province of Quebec.听 Moving forward together is required in addressing the challenges and complexities of the 21st听century.
Office of the Provost- Indigenous Initiatives (OPII) led the planning and programming of Indigenous-related events and projects for the Bicentennial.听 In alignment with the Bicentennial鈥檚 goals, the intended Indigenous components included:听
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is an acclaimed Inuk/Mohawk singer and songwriter from Quaqtaq, Quebec. She performed three songs- "Immutaa", "My All to You", and "Takugiursugit"- as part of the Bicentennial celebrations.
June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples' Day. Since June 2018, McGill has flown the Hiawatha Wampum Belt Flag from the McCall MacBain Arts Building to recognize this day. The McGill Reporter has written articles about and about .听
As the McGill Reporter writes, "The flag is a centuries-old symbol marking unity and peace between the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk nations." For more information about the Hiawatha Wampum Belt, visit the Onondaga Nation's .
The Provost鈥檚 Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education included flying the Hiawatha Wampum Belt at McGill in one of the听Calls to Action听in the 2017 final report.听
Watch the 2023 flag-raising ceremony here:
Watch the 2022 flag-raising ceremony here:
Indigenous Awareness Weeks offer听students, staff and faculty the opportunity to learn about Indigenous cultures, histories, and communities, promoting greater knowledge and understanding about Indigenous peoples in Canada. They aim听to raise awareness and initiate an exchange of ideas on First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit topics within the McGill community.
Indigenous Awareness Weeks provide a space to amplify听Indigenous voices and perspectives on campus.
Since 2011, invited guests have included听academics, community members, Elders, and students. Topics have included health, identity, language revitalization, the Indian Act, Residential Schools, Indigenous legal traditions, Canadian policies, education, child welfare, and Indigenous ways of knowing.
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View the 2021 Indigenous Awareness Weeks page.
View the听听2022 Indigenous Awareness Weeks page.
View the 2023 Indigenous Awareness Weeks page.
As part of Indigenous Awareness Week each year, the First Peoples鈥� House holds a Pow Wow on McGill University campus to celebrate its Indigenous students and their diverse cultures. The Pow Wow features activities such as traditional dancing and drumming. In addition to watching performances, visitors can browse artisan vendors, learn about student groups, and connect with Indigenous organizations.
The 2023 McGill Powwow will take place on McGill's lower campus on Friday, September 22nd. We hope to see you there!
Watch "Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of McGill鈥檚 Pow Wow: Reflections with Ellen Gabriel and others":
Watch the 2020 Virtual Pow Wow:
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80. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.
-Call to Action 80 from the听
September 30th is听the National听 Day听for听Truth and Reconciliation. The National Day for听Truth and Reconciliation is a federal statutory holiday which gives the public a chance to recognize and commemorate听the intergenerational harm听that residential schools have caused听to Indigenous families and communities, and to honour those who have been affected by this injustice.
The National Day for Truth and听Reconciliation also coincides with , which invites people in Canada to wear orange shirts to honour the survivors of residential schools.
View the 2021 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation webpage.
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Read the article:听
"Vancouver Island University and McGill University sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore how the institutions can work together to engage in research and academic exchanges for faculty and students in Indigenous education and Indigenous studies."
听is a听travelling exhibition retracing the steps听of the art integration process at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) following a national art competition听open to Inuit artists across Inuit Nunangat.
McGill was a proud of the exhibition and hosted an installation the Macdonald-Harrington Building from September 8th to October 25th, 2022. For more information on the exhibition's installation at McGill, please visit the Ajuinnata at McGill landing page.
Visit the Partnerships Page听to see Community-based Projects and a list of听Partners听who make these projects a reality.听
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Celeste Pedri-Spade - Associate Provost, Indigenous Initiatives
Appointed in 2022 as McGill鈥檚 first Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives), Celeste Pedri-Spade oversees McGill鈥檚 ongoing response to the 52 Calls to Action articulated by the Provost鈥檚 Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education. She likewise works closely with academic leaders across McGill to further define the direction of McGill鈥檚 commitment to Indigenous scholars and scholarship, and to greater representation and inclusion of Indigenous peoples within the University community. She plays a critical role in furthering efforts to ensure the success of Indigenous students at McGill, and in building meaningful and active partnerships with Indigenous communities in Quebec and across Canada.
An Ojibwe scholar and artist, Pedri-Spade is from the Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation in northwestern Ontario. She completed her PhD in visual anthropology at the University of Victoria and her MA in Culture and Communication at Royal Roads University.
Celeste Pedri-Spade is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology in the Faculty of Arts. Her research interests include Indigenous art and decolonization; settler colonialism and Indigeneity; Indigenous visual/material culture; Anishinabemowin regeneration; and creative Indigenous research methodologies.
Ann Deer - Associate Director, Indigenous Initiatives
Ann (she/her) is a Kanyen'keha:ka (People of the Flint; Mohawk; Wolf Clan) professional, educator, and member of the Akwesasne First Nation. Her passion and work are related to community building and exploring the world through an Indigenous lens to facilitate truth and reconciliation. This involves a deep understanding of power, privilege, racism, and bias from an Indigenous perspective, and the tools to be a changemaker.
Ann previously worked at Queen鈥檚 University, where she served in the capacity of Indigenous Recruitment & Initiatives Coordinator at the Smith School of Business. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Native Studies and Canadian Studies from Trent University and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from St. Lawrence University.
She is a community builder who combines education, life experience, and research based on the Two Row Wampum Treaty teachings to live side by side as brothers and sisters. Ann is looking forward to helping McGill fulfill its commitments to truth and reconciliation and furthering our relationships with Indigenous communities.
Geraldine King - Senior Advisor, Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogy
Geraldine King (she/her/elle/kwe) is Anishinaabe and a member-citizen of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (Gull Bay First Nation) located in the Robinson Superior Treaty area of Northwestern Ontario. Geraldine is currently a PhD candidate in the cultural studies program at Queen鈥檚 University and completed her MA in Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria. Prior to joining McGill, Geraldine was a Lecturer in the School of Canadian and Indigenous Studies at Carleton University where she helped advance Indigenous land-based education grounded in Indigenous communities. Geraldine鈥檚 doctoral work focusses on Anishinaabe erotics, ethics of intimacy, kinship studies and theories of Anishinaabe phenomenology.
As the Senior Advisor, Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogy. Prof. King will provide strategic advice to individual faculty and academic leaders across the university with the goal of supporting meaningful and respectful relations with Indigenous communities, peoples, knowledges, and epistemologies. Prof. King will also hold an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE) in the Faculty of Education where she will focus on developing and delivering land-based education.
Olivia Bornyi - Project and Research Assistant, Indigenous Initiatives听
Olivia graduated from McGill University in May 2024 with a Joint Honours B.A. in Political Science and International Development Studies. She joined the Office of Indigenous Initiatives in 2022, and works on developing event series and university-wide communications including Indigenous Awareness Weeks, Winter Speaker Series, and gathering updates on the 52 Calls to Action. Outside of her academics and professional pursuits, Olivia partakes in exploring the outdoors and involving herself in student publications.
Rosemary Cooke - Administration & Finance Officer, Indigenous Initiatives
Rosemary Cooke is a McGill retiree who has returned to help the Indigenous Initiatives Unit with administrative and financial management on a temporary basis. She worked at McGill for 27 years in an administrative capacity with different units/faculties, including Graduate Studies, VP Research, and the Office of Technology Transfer. Rosemary retired in January 2020, after eight years, as the Director of Administration for the Faculty of Dentistry. She was a member of Senate for six years and has sat on various University committees. Her background is in finance and law.
Delilah Samson, Communications Assistant
Delilah is a U3 Honours student at McGill University majoring in International Development, with a double minor in Indigenous Studies and Biology. In Fall 2024, she joined the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, where she supports internal communications and contributes to the development of outreach newsletters. Delilah is passionate about community-driven projects and women's health, which are central to her academic focus. Outside of her studies and professional work, she enjoys sewing and swimming.
Thomasina Phillips - Associate Director, Indigenous Student Success
Thomasina Phillips is Kanien'keh谩:ka, a member of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnaw脿:ke, where she was born and raised. She has been working and residing in Tio'tia:ke (Montreal) for the past several years. She began her journey at McGill as a graduate of the Master of Social Work program in the School of Social Work and is licensed by the Ordre des travaillers sociaux et des therapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Quebec to practice. After working in a domestic violence rehabilitative setting with couples and individuals, she took the position of Indigenous Case Manager at the Wellness Hub, formally McGill Counselling Services. In her role as a mental health worker, she works with student services leadership, clinicians, and students to deliver appropriate care to McGill鈥檚 Indigenous student population, and promote the healthy development of students by fostering and building networks and relationships within and external to McGill鈥檚 support services. She offers one on one services to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students as well as occasional group supports. She holds an award from the School of Social Work for excellence in clinical practice.
Thomasina keeps ties to her family circle and larger community in Kahnaw脿:ke. She has spent many years developing and practicing traditional skills such as raised-style Iroquois beadwork, moccasin making, parfleche, leatherwork, and fan making. She has been designing and making contemporary pow-wow style regalia for the past 5 years. She began dancing jingle with her young daughter as part of her personal wellness journey and as a means of honoring her value of helping others through the healing power of dance.
Matthew Coutu-Moya, Administrative Supervisor,听First Peoples' House
Matthew Coutu-Moya is Michif-Chilean from Summerland, British Columbia. His mother was born and raised in the prairies of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Her family has ties to Michif communities of St-Boniface, Petite Pointe du Ch锚nes (Lorette) and St-Laurent in Manitoba as well as St-Paul-des-M茅tis (St-Paul) in Alberta. His father is from Santiago, Chile and came to Canada as a refugee after the Pinochet coup. Prior to living in Montr茅al, Matthew worked for three years with immigrants and refugees at Kamloops Immigrant Services. This work would motivate him to return to school. In 2017, Matthew moved to Montr茅al to study at McGill鈥檚 School of Social Work.
Since graduating in 2020, he has been working with Indigenous Access McGill, a program which supports Indigenous students at the School of Social Work. Matthew is excited and grateful to join the team at First Peoples鈥� House as he hopes to continue giving back to the programs which supported him during his own studies as well as fostering a home away from home for Indigenous students at McGill.
Marlowe Dubois - Indigenous Student Advisor, First Peoples' House
Marlowe Dubois is Cree First Nation, born and raised in Saskatchewan, and is a band member of Ochapowace First Nation. He enrolled at McGill in the faculty of education in 2016, graduating with a Bachelor of Education in 2021. He has a background in both provincial and Indigenous education systems through work as a teacher, creating familiarity with what students require to succeed and what specific roadblocks Indigenous students will face in the university system.
Pasha Partridge - Administrative Coordinator, First Peoples' House
Pasha April Partridge is Inuk from Kuujjuaq and Kanien'keh谩:ka from Kahnaw脿:ke. She was a research assistant for a big research project called the First Peoples鈥� Postsecondary Storytelling Exchange (FPPSE) where she has been advocating for Indigenous student success. Since 2016, she has spent much of her time visiting different post-secondary institutions to talk with teachers, deans and various levels of academic leadership to share her experience as an Indigenous student and how things can be changed to make students feel more welcomed in their classrooms. She has a love for research, specifically research for and by Indigenous people. Pasha is a research assistant for the Cultural and Indigenous Research in Counselling Psychology (CIRC) Lab at McGill University. She is a multi-disciplinary artist, focusing on sealskin materials to make jewelry and accessories, recently incorporating soapstone carvings into her artwork. She is also a filmmaker, having made 4 short films all focusing on her Indigenous identity.
