The headscarf ceremony honors Indigenous students. You also have to listen to them.

Katsitsaronkwas Shyann White, a Mohawk from Kahnawà:ke Territory, says we need more Indigenous people in public administration and governance. Increasing the number of Indigenous-led initiatives and organizations is an important step in the fight against systemic racism.

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She was among the McGill graduates honored at the 11th annual scarves ceremony, organized by the House of Indigenous Peoples. This year, the scarves ceremony took place virtually, with 60 graduates of Aboriginal origin.

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Ms. White completed the Public Administration and Governance program with honors, on the Dean's List, and with an Indspire Award. The graduate attended the program full-time while working, also full time, as a receptionist for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke.

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“I wanted a better future,” she says. The public administration and governance program seemed well-balanced to him, and it was the “Aboriginal cohort” that reinforced her decision. “I met people from different backgrounds and nations, and it was comforting. I did not feel out of place and felt that I had a place here.” Seven years had passed since she had trained as a secretary, and the online format was adapted to her professional and family life, since she is the mother of three children. The relationship with Indigenous peers reminded her of the high school days, when she took the bus across the Mercier Bridge to Montreal to get there. “There was only one person I knew on the bus, and I experienced anxiety until I met other Indigenous students.”

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Ms. White is proud to have joined a new position last week as Administrative Assistant to the Director of Kateri Memorial Hospital. She explains that the program has helped her a lot in her career and that she appreciated the intervention of post-secondary education advocates who understand the benefits of “Indigenous education, the Indigenous way.”

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She tells us that it was a difficult year and that COVID-19 was just one of the challenges. “Luckily, our program was already online; we just kept up the pace, and we could always connect with each other,” says Ms. White. I can give back to my community in such a rewarding and rewarding way.”

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Taking the lead, from Indigenous perspectives

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Tatiana Lamoureux Gauvin is a lecturer in the public administration and governance program at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. “Teaching intercultural communication to an Aboriginal cohort was an eye-opening experience,” she says.

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Offering the program entirely online has allowed more students to participate, whether they live in the James Bay region or Haida Gwaii in British Columbia. The cohort allowed her to better appreciate the diversity of Canada's Aboriginal nations. “Thanks to this course, I discovered the richness and variety of cultural differences within different Aboriginal communities and subcultures,” explains Ms. Gauvin. I learn from every story a student shares.”

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Patrika McEvoy is finishing her final class this week. She attended the courses via video conference from Haida Gwaii. According to her, the Nations Reconstruction Programme is an important theme in today's public administration and governance sector. This is a job she is familiar with as an advisor to the Old Masset Council of the Haida Nation. “Reconciliation is an arduous exercise, and we can develop solutions to the problems they created with the genocide.” “If we can implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in my lifetime, that will be half the battle,” says Ms. McEnvoy. Reconciliation necessarily involves creating a space for exchange where the Aboriginal point of view prevails.

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“As an Aboriginal woman, I have learned to integrate our reality into our studies as soon as the opportunity arises,” she continues. We can see this when the recommendations of the TRC are implemented in institutions, because then we have the right to speak out to tell our own stories. It's an uncomfortable conversation, but one we need to have whenever we can.”

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Teiawenniserate Jeremy Tomlinson of Kanehsatà:ke agrees. “There is always a noticeable difference when we, as Aboriginal people, are the majority in a group. There is increased comfort, he says. It's hard to explain, but in our daily lives, when we work or participate in other activities within the colonial system, we often have defense mechanisms in place. It is as if, having dealt with so much discrimination and racism, we are coming to expect disturbing questions and comments.” “I can attest to the case of one teacher in particular: Kit Malo. She was very open and really mediated in a forum that allowed me to feel comfortable sharing my experience as part of the learning activities,” explains Mr. Tomlinson.

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According to Kit Malo, valuing the lived experiences and learning achieved by Indigenous people is essential, especially in courses with Indigenous content or awareness courses. She is a lecturer in organizational behavior.Ms. Malo would like resources to increase the number of Indigenous speakers in all colleges and schools. “I thought about it, as a white person with a colonial education, and my perspective will reinforce a lot of things that I think we need to unlearn,” she underlines.The professor uses a co-learning method, which helps her navigate through themes that lend themselves naturally to the expression of indigenous voices.

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“It's a space where I could talk about things from a perspective that's close to my heart, and be with a group of people who want to have these conversations and talk about them based on their lived experience, but also their wisdom, intelligence, and perspective. It's incredibly rewarding,” she says. She says it reinforced an approach that fits her teaching style and that involves looking at organizational behavior from a critical perspective. “And talking about it in a way that's as anti-racist and anti-oppressive as possible,” she adds. One of the questions I have for non-Indigenous teachers, myself included, is how consistently we are learning, making connections to understand, absorbing, and listening to Indigenous cultures and systemic issues.”

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The challenges of recruiting Indigenous students

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Carole Brazeau, director of the Indigenous Initiatives Program in the Office of the President and Vice-Chancellor, says that the number of Indigenous students currently enrolled at McGill is 451. The university had 39,736 students in 2020.

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This small number does not surprise Mr. Tomlinson. “More and more, our citizens feel uncomfortable in these institutions because they are victims of discrimination and racism on a daily basis. The burden of “reconciliation” is now on the shoulders of our people, as Indigenous people are still seen as being the problem in improving relationships,” he states.In a 2019 profile on Indigenous post-secondary students, there is a conscious attempt to increase Indigenous content. But there's a difference between “inserting content” and incorporating Indigenous worldviews about power-sharing and communication, which are highly relevant to teaching, learning, and group discussions.

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“It's not easy to navigate,” Tomlinson said. A balance must be found between “modern” education and the promotion and revitalization of cultural knowledge and Indigenous languages.”

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This is reflected in her own journey. He stopped his studies, choosing instead to devote himself to learning and teaching his language — Kanien'kéha. Increasing the participation of Aboriginal people is one thing, having the emotional intelligence and communication skills to create safer spaces is another.

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For teacher Tatiana Lamoureux Gauvin, this is an essential element: “Creating safe spaces is not only about creating spaces where students feel comfortable talking, but also about creating safe spaces that are respectful.”

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The need for trauma-informed approaches

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Dr. Carmen Sicilia is the Director of Indigenous Relations at the Faculty of Continuing Studies at McGill University. She reflects on the lessons learned from the experience of the program's first Indigenous cohort. “One lesson is that some of these conversations are sometimes difficult for non-Indigenous lecturers and professors to manage,” she says. Difficult conversations can evoke emotions and trauma in students. We learned that we need to provide support — better support and more support at the same time — to teachers and students.”

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Trauma-informed mediation was a need raised by an Indigenous student in the program, as was the demand for more Indigenous leaders to be involved in these conversations.

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“It's really important,” says Ms. Sicilia. They need to be supported not only in the classroom but also when they leave the classroom. We need to be conscientious and aware, and be able to create a safe space. When they leave, they always feel safe and know that they can turn to someone to talk.”

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One of the things Ms. Sicilia is working on is inviting seniors from various communities across Canada to provide part-time support to students and teachers. She hopes that this initiative can be implemented beyond this particular program.

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Moving forward

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After the headscarf ceremony, the Faculty of Continuing Education held a virtual convocation in this pandemic year. A total of 60 Indigenous students graduated, including 3 in public administration and governance.

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The celebration paid tribute to the graduates and took care to honor the memory of the children of the boarding school in Tk'emlúps te Secwe'pemc territory.

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As an Indigenous graduate, I was invited to speak at the graduation ceremony. I started by expressing my gratitude to my own mother, who started her studies in one of these “schools” and yet still values education for what it can give us.

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The lessons learned within our Indigenous cohort demonstrated the hard work that goes into dismantling systemic racism, and the beauty of what can happen. Creating spaces for Indigenous students is one element, but it is also important to ensure that there is no room left for racism in classrooms.