Contested places: Addressing the TRC in higher education

Abstract

<jats:p> Using a Community-First Land-Centered Framework this article reflects on an analysis of the research findings of a SSHRC funded research project. The project examined the ways two universities were interpreting and taking up the TRC report and its 94 Calls to Action. This is a crucial time in Canada’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples and the results of this research demonstrate that reconciliation remains a complex and challenging endeavour that has no quick fixes and further, that universities play a key role making the meaningful changes that are urgently needed to to make higher education welcoming and supportive for Indigenous Peoples. </jats:p>

Indigenous community engagement requirements for academic journals

“…Recent advancements in Indigenous research processes contribute to ensuring that research led by, involving, and impacting Indigenous Peoples is safe and beneficial; however, so far, many of these changes are still superficial and tokenistic (Blackstock, 2016;Fridkin et al, 2019;Smith, 2021;Styres et al, 2020). As noted by Linda Tuhiwai Smith (2021), the discourse may be shifting, but fundamental structural changes within academia, in this instance peer-reviewed journal submission policies, need to be modified in meaningful ways (Anderson, 2019;Bull et al, 2019;Hyett et al, 2018;Kilian et al, 2019;Smith, 2021;Smylie et al, 2020).…”

Meeting Together in a Good Way: A Discussion on the Educational Mapping Activity of Indigenous Content in a Nurse Practitioner Program

“…While situated on the agenda within the academy and health care education, there continues to be ongoing hurdles to realizing the 2015 TRC Calls to Action. For instance, the need for health care providers and nursing educators to engage meaningfully within decolonizing approaches and cultural safety learning lacks consistency across most educational institutions (Cote-Meek, 2014;Horrill et al, 2018, Styres et al, 2020, Symenuk et al, 2020. Notably the National Inquiry into the Missing and Murdered, Indigenous Women and Girls, released in 2019, has been met with a considerable lack of political will regarding an action plan to implement the report's Calls to Justice (Assembly of First Nations, 2020).…”

“…The enduring intergenerational trauma and suffering caused by the removal of children from their families and the forced denial of culture, language and ways of life has largely been the untold history missing within nursing education. Together the TRC's Calls to Action, the National Inquiry of Missing and Murdered, Indigenous Women and Girls Calls to Justice and UNDRIP articles reflect the legacy of colonialism; however, their fulsome implementation within 'advanced' nursing education remains to be seen (Patel, 2021;Styres et al, 2020;Symenuk et al, 2020).…”