University to launch consultation on Indigenous identity

Initiative to begin in November

Image supplied by: Journal File Photo
Office of Indigenous Initiatives to lead consultations to ensure equitable hiring.

On Nov. 2, Queen’s announced it will be launching consultations with Indigenous community members to “ensure hiring and other internal policies and procedures are more clear, equitable, and reflect key aspects of verification of Indigeneity.”

Led by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII), this project comes as a response to public concerns in June over Queen’s approach to questions of Indigeneity and identity.

According to the press release, consultations will begin this month.

“These are not easy discussion to undertake but are important to help foster a healthy community and relationships at Queen’s,” Janice Hill (Kanonhsyonne), Associate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation), said in a press release.

“Our primary goal is that this dialogue is led and driven by Indigenous members to ensure that any action we take comes from decisions we make together.”

The consultation will entail a meeting with Indigenous members of the Queen’s community, as well as other university stakeholders and Indigenous representatives. The process will also include an external consultant with the First Peoples Group.

Indigenous students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community collaborators will receive a direct invitation to participate in consultations virtually or in-person.

Additionally, an online feedback mechanism will be created to complement information collected throughout the meetings.

“I am pleased that this work is underway and look forward to hearing from the community on how we can move forward respectfully and meaningfully to ensure our internal processes are fair, just, and reflect the needs of Indigenous community members at Queen’s,” Principal Patrick Deane stated in the press release.

Tags

EDII, Equity, Indigenous

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content