Soon after the June 2 Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, Universities Canada, which represents 97 universities, accepted 13 common principles to narrow the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
By committing to these principles, Universities Canada is taking an important step towards healing the wounds inflicted upon Indigenous peoples throughout history.
These principles include promoting dialogue and intercultural engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Education is a critical tool for reconciliation, and real results would require all universities to act on these principles.
Select Canadian universities have already introduced policies which other schools should observe. For example, the University of Winnipeg introduced a mandatory Indigenous course requirement earlier this year.
On July 2, McMaster University launched a program aiming to increase the number of Indigenous graduate students. Algoma University is home to a school providing university education from a local Anishinaabe perspective. Currently, fewer than 10 per cent of Indigenous people in Canada have a university degree compared to the national rate of 28 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
Reconciliation should be a national imperative, and all 97 universities must therefore act on the 13 principles with great urgency and seriousness.
