This article discusses residential schools, colonial violence, and intergenerational trauma, which may be distressing for some readers.
Queen’s students remind peers that education—in all facets of the word—is essential for dismantling colonial myths and cultivating reconciliation.
As the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR) took place on Sept. 30, the Queen’s community is reflecting on how to better educate themselves on the ongoing issues facing Indigenous Peoples. That reflection says AMS Social Issues Commissioner (SIC) (Internal) Edward Sy, must extend beyond a single day of recognition to include expanding the academic canon to centre Indigeneity within post-secondary education.
One keyway to advance that goal, Sy noted in an interview with The Journal, is by embedding Indigenous studies directly into students’ learning experience, drawing attention to the fact that multiple universities in Canada have mandated an Indigenous studies course as an undergraduate degree requirement, and in this regard, Queen’s seems to be falling behind.
The University of Winnipeg, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine, along with many other universities, particularly in Western Canada, have introduced mandatory courses focused on Indigenous history. Queen’s, however, remains among the institutions that don’t require any Indigenous studies courses.
READ MORE: Faculty falters when addressing Indigenous topics
In discussing the importance of education, Sy invoked a quote from Justice Murray Sinclair—Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge, Canada’s second, and Queen’s chancellor from 2021-24—who said on the final day of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s public hearings, “Education is what got us here, and education is what will get us out.” Sinclair’s words underscore how colonial education systems were deliberately used to oppress Indigenous Peoples and enforce assimilation, most notably through Canada’s residential schools
Sy echoes Sinclair’s beliefs. “I think that’s a really powerful quote that speaks to the responsibilities of education across Canada to ensure that all our future leaders and our future community members are able to actually speak on Indigenous issues and understand how they impact Indigenous Peoples today,” Sy noted.
That belief in education’s transformative power is echoed in student perspectives as well.
In 2019, the Indigenous Council of Queen’s University’s annual report found that students who were taking an Indigenous history or culture course at Queen’s were building knowledge and strengthening their understanding of Indigenous studies and relations. About 15 per cent of students said they would prefer an Indigenous educational course to be mandatory with their degrees.
“Unfortunately, we see with that survey that there hasn’t been enough done with this evidence that shows that with education, and people understanding these realities, we see differences in the [students] actions,” Sy said. “It speaks to the fact that students feel the need to do that education on behalf of the university when it feels like the university isn’t doing that work themselves.”
Sy also points out that leaving the decision to learn about Indigenous issues up to students often means that only those already engaged in these conversations, such as people involved in equity work or Indigenous students themselves, will choose to enroll.
By contrast, making these courses mandatory would help to broaden understanding and universalize the knowledge by reaching more students who might not necessarily be actively seeking this knowledge out.
Without such requirements, however, the work of fostering understanding often falls unevenly, according to Sy.
He mentions that leaving this job to students who are already relatively educated means Indigenous Peoples are often burdened with the responsibility of guiding allies and non-Indigenous peers towards reconciliation. “Reconciliation isn’t a burden that should be placed on Indigenous people, but rather non-Indigenous people, working in other departments and leadership positions, but unfortunately, at this moment, as a student, this isn’t something I see on campus,” Sy said.
Recognizing this imbalance, the SIC has sought to create spaces where all students are encouraged to engage with reconciliation more actively.
Throughout this month, red dresses will be displayed across campus to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+). “Each dress is a powerful reminder of lives lost to gendered and colonial-induced violence, and a call for action to ensure justice and healing,” Indigenous Issues Coordinator, Cameron Hare, a Métis student with Red River Settlement ancestry and member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, said in a statement to The Journal. The display is inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black’s REDress Project.
Alongside these visibility initiatives, Queen’s Rector Niki Boytchuk-Hale, launched the Heart Garden project to reflect on and remember Ontario’s role in operating residential schools. The garden of hearts has been and will continue to be displayed outside the JDUC and Richardson Hall throughout the month of October. Each heart was signed by each group on the AMS Assembly, as well as the SGPS Executive, and graduate faculty society’s, to remind participants of the oath they made toward truth and reconciliation.
On Sept. 26 and 29, an Indigenous Strengths mural display was held in the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC), where students shared their reflections on what makes Indigenous Peoples strong. Each heart was signed to remind participants of the oath they made toward truth and reconciliation.
“The purpose of the garden at Queen’s is to create an educational opportunity for student and university leaders to learn about the 18 Residential and Day schools that once operated in Ontario, and provide a space on campus for our community to quietly reflect on the impacts of these schools, remember the lives lost and families impacted, and (re)commit to reconciliation,” Boytchuk-Hale wrote in a statement to The Journal.
Still, some students believe that symbolic initiatives alone aren’t enough to advance reconciliation on campus. “The same way certain Canadian history courses are mandatory, I think it should be the same with an Indigenous history course,” Yafiet Teame, ArtSci ’26, said in an interview with The Journal.
The importance of these classes isn’t lost on Teame, who saw his knowledge broaden through university. He acknowledges the power that education has to be a tool for reconciliation, as he learned more about Indigenous studies through university. “I didn’t know too much about Indigenous rights in Canada other than general social studies when I was younger, but I wasn’t very aware outside of that, and I think Queen’s has a platform to educate students on these topics,” Teame said.
For Marshall Hill, a professor who teaches Indigenous poetry, bringing Indigenous pedagogy and teachings into the post-secondary academic structure isn’t radical, but necessary. “One way that [Queen’s commitments being honoured] can be done is by curriculum changes, it definitely needs to be doing better than it’s being done and be taken seriously, but also if you’re a history department and you don’t have an Indigenous historian and you’re in North American, then it’s not a serious history department,” Hill said in an interview with The Journal.
Sy believes the reason for potential Queen’s institutional gaps when it comes to mandatory Indigenous courses may be attributed to financial struggles or the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) collective agreement.
The QUFA agreement ensures that “members have the freedom to exercise professional judgment in the acquisition of materials, and in ensuring that these materials are freely accessible to all for bona fide teaching and research purposes, no matter how controversial these materials may be” and “have the right to the free expression of their views, and may choose course content, use teaching methods and refer to materials without censorship or reference or adherence to prescribed doctrine.”
“[The agreement] serves as a large barrier to why we can’t mandate or tell faculty to teach specific topics (like Indigeneity) in their courses/research. This academic freedom serves many purposes and is important, but it is hard to balance when we think about what should be taught, and who gets to decide that,” Sy said.
Despite how much progress has been made in topics and education for Indigeneity, Sy acknowledges is still yet to be had in terms of reconciliation and decolonizing a post-secondary institution like Queen’s, they continue to have a lot of hope for the future of Indigenous culture and reconciliation at Queen’s.
From Boytchuk-Hale and Sy to Teame and Hill, voices across the Queen’s community agree that expanding Indigenous courses and curricula is a crucial step toward reconciliation. They argue that for Queen’s to make meaningful progress, it must reimagine education beyond the confines of a colonial framework.
Corrections
A previous version of the story incorrectly stated Boytchuk-Hale’s s in the Indigenous Teacher Education Program. In fact, Boytchuk-Hale graduated from the B.Ed. program in 2024.
A previous version of the story that the Heart Garden was displayed outside the JDUC and Richardson Hall throughout the month of October. The hearts were installed in September and will remain up through October.
The story also misstated who participated in the Heart Garden project. The project included hearts signed by each group on AMS Assembly, as well as the SGPS Executive and graduate faculty societies including the Law Students’ Society and the Ascelapean Society.
Incorrect information appeared in the Oct. 3 issue of The Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
Tags
Formal education, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, NDTR, QUFA, Rector, Social Issue Commissioner (Internal)
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