Decolonizing Pedagogy: Committee to Indigenous Justice and Collaboration takes a big step in its first event
UTM’s new Indigenous committee opens up space for critical dialogue on Truth and Reconciliation Day with panels and cultural activities.

On September 30, the student-led Committee for Indigenous Justice and Collaboration (CIJC) hosted its first event at the University of Toronto (U of T) Mississauga (UTM) Student Centre presentation room in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. The event, titled “Decolonizing Pedagogy,” aimed to foster reflection, reimagination, and dialogue on topics of decolonization and indigeneity.

The event featured a discussion panel of Indigenous community members. Panellists shared perspectives on U of T’s current progress in Indigenous culture, decolonizing pedagogy, and student assumptions of knowledge. Insights on what UTM can learn from Indigenous knowledge systems and how to implement those systems for future students were also discussed. The event also served Indigenous cuisines and distributed free orange t-shirts by Nish Tee’s, an Indigenous-operated business.

About the CIJC

The CIJC was established at the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the UTM Student Union (UTMSU). The motion called for the creation of an open, student-led committee dedicated to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action, particularly Call to Action #80, which seeks the recognition of September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and a statutory holiday. 

The committee will collaborate across the tri-campus community with U of T’s St. George and Scarborough campuses and may continue beyond the 2025–2026 academic year if it successfully builds partnerships or receives an official response from university governance.

The CIJC acknowledges the help of UTMSU President Andrew Park, Vice President of Equity Miatah McCallum, and former UTMSU President Joelle Salsa. Park and McCallum demonstrated great leadership when starting the committee by actively advocating for the rights of all students. 

About the event

In an interview with The Medium, the founders of the CIJC, Cordelia Macdonald from the Haudenosaunee (Oneida and Mohawk) of the Six Nations of the Grand River and Dakoda Kelm from the Michif Red River Métis, discussed the purpose of the event.

The panel focused on discussions about land sovereignty, the complexities surrounding the Land Acknowledgement, and the actions U of T should take to better recognize the struggles and underrepresentation of Indigenous students through improved support services.

The importance of the event lies in creating a safe space for all students to come forward with questions and listen to a mixed panel of Indigenous experts and professors who are passionate about bringing Truth and Reconciliation into academic spaces. The Panel featured UTM Professor Helene Wagner, McMaster Indigenous Workshop Instructor Stephanie George, and other members of the Indigenous community.

Macdonald expressed, “Students don’t know where to start and feel stuck. That’s okay, this event is meant to show you it’s okay to learn. The first step of decolonizing is getting people to be aware of the issues and helping them get support for that.”

CIJC member, MJ Singleton from the Ojibwe Migisi Sahgaigan First Nations, added that there needs to be less “armchair activism,” or performative activism, on campus. Instead of just sharing posts on social media, it is more important to take action, connect with the community, and reflect on the issues. 

Organizers of the event even considered the seating arrangement, ensuring the panel was held in a circle formation so that everyone was able to see one another. There was also no head of the circle, which expressed that no one is superior. 

The first part of the event began with a personalized land acknowledgement from McCallum, followed by the burning of dried medicinal white sage, also known as a smudging stick. Sage burning, also known as smudging, is an Indigenous practice that’s meant to invite positive energy and spiritual cleansing into the space by creating purifying smoke. 

The smudging process was then offered to participants individually, beginning at the entry of the circle.  Participants got to spread the purifying smoke over their bodies with their hands or using a feather guide, and the smudging bowl moved down the circle in the direction of the sun (counterclockwise).

Following the smudging ceremony, attendees were treated to a performance by Indigenous women’s hand drum and singing group, SpiritWind. Formed in 1999, the group performed three sets of songs throughout the event, which created an intimate and powerful atmosphere by connecting attendees through a shared cultural experience. 

Afterwards, Macdonald led the event by allowing participants to introduce themselves and share their reasons for participating, encouraging people to mingle with one another later during the social hour. 

The event concluded with conversations of land acknowledgment and sharings of students’ experiences on campus. Indigenous cuisines were also served, along with the social hour for one-on-one dialogues. 

Decolonizing pedagogies

Towards the final discussion of the event, issues regarding land acknowledgements were brought up. For non-Indigenous students, the land acknowledgement may seem like a way to address Canada’s historical oppression of Indigenous people, but the discussion brought forth a crucial question: what’s recognition without action?

The panellists expressed that these acknowledgements are mere middle grounds, false compromises, and a set of performative words that offer no actions, making it easier for colonizers and settlers to swallow their guilt. For Indigenous students and staff, it felt more like a check box when saying the land acknowledgement, especially when it was played after the national anthem of Canada in some settings. 

Instead, the CIJC promotes personalized land acknowledgments, which help the speaker in creating a mindset that balances reason and passion, and allows one to reconnect with the land more sincerely. 

The event had a great turnout, with the main goal being to ensure students were not tiptoeing around the topic of inequality among Indigenous peoples and students. “Passiveness is not sustainable,” stated Macdonald. “We are more similar than different at the end of the day.” Events like this will continue to provide safe spaces for all students to learn about land acknowledgments and advocate for increased representation of Indigenous students. 

Indigenous awareness in academia

Currently, Kelm and Professor Wagner are working side by side on developing an Indigenous biology course focused on the intersection of Truth and Reconciliation in biology. The course will discuss how to treat Indigenous knowledge appropriately, in terms of ownership, control, access and possession (OCAP), as well as Indigenous data governance and addressing Western biases in biology. This course will allow for a deeper understanding of Indigenous pedagogy and its value in academia. 

Singleton also shared her Indigenous learning experience with The Medium. She participated in the summer course SOC437 taught by Professor Paul Pritchard, which was held at the Mnidoo Mnising Indigenous Field School. 

“We learned more in that one week than in our entire university experience,” said Singleton. Her experience shows that incorporating methods of Indigenous learning into courses and curriculum for Indigenous students is one of the most effective ways to pass down Indigenous knowledge and history. 

Those looking to get involved in the CIJC are welcome to submit their information to the CIJC Google form, which can be found at linktr.ee/myutmsu.