As part of Engineers Canada's recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, staff participated in training to explore how Indigenous cultural safety can be embedded within our organization and the engineering profession at large.
The training was a part of Engineers Canada's broader Truth and Reconciliation Framework and Action Plan. The foundational phase of the plan emphasizes building internal capacity, credibility, and trust before pursuing broader profession-wide change. Introducing staff to Indigenous cultural safety helps create the conditions necessary for meaningful and sustained reconciliation by strengthening cultural humility, increasing understanding of Indigenous histories and realities, and supporting respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples and communities.
Presented by Jordan Stehelin-Holland of Len Pierre Consulting, the session approached Indigenous cultural safety within Canada’s historical colonial context and demonstrated how such systems and ideologies continue to exist and propagate over time. Participants explored how legislation such as the Indian Act has shaped the legal, administrative, and physical environments in which engineering projects are conceived, designed, regulated, and delivered. The training encouraged participants to consider how historical systems of colonization influence definitions of success, risk, consultation, and development.
In this context, Stehelin-Holland introduced the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing. This approach encourages people to combine the perspectives and strengths of Indigenous knowledge systems with the strengths of Western knowledge systems. For example, where Western knowledge has a strength in logical, data-driven approaches built on the scientific method, it can be combined with Indigenous ways of knowing that emphasize community benefit, multi-generational roles, and an awareness of cyclical time to ensure the fruits of knowledge are fairly applied for a broader good. Participants discussed how they can strengthen problem solving by bringing both perspectives together, revealing insights that conventional approaches alone may miss.
The training also introduced the principles of trauma-informed professional practice. Grounded in an understanding and responsiveness to the impact of trauma, it emphasizes physical, psychological, emotional, and cultural safety for everyone. For survivors, this supports rebuilding a sense of control and empowerment.
A trauma-informed lens invites participants to explore questions such as:
- How might the engagement process create stress or mistrust?
- Are we asking people to repeatedly retell painful histories?
- Are timelines being imposed?
- Are technical meetings accessible and respectful?
- Are we creating genuine opportunities to say no, pause, reconsider, or change direction?
By interrogating these responses in our engagement practices, one can move toward cultural safety and advocacy and away from forms of cultural avoidance that perpetuate harm.
The session concluded by emphasizing that Indigenous cultural safety is not a destination but an ongoing practice. Participants were encouraged to continue to examine their language and behaviours, and reflect on questions such as: Whose knowledge is missing? Who are the rights-holders? Who is defining the problem? What does meaningful participation look like?
Many of the concepts that Engineers Canada staff explored have direct relevance to engineering practice. Ideas such as Indigenous cultural safety, Two-Eyed Seeing, shared decision-making, community-defined success, and trauma-informed engagement encourage engineers to consider whose perspectives are included in decision-making, how projects affect communities, and what meaningful participation looks like in practice.
Advancing reconciliation means everyone has a role in creating more respectful, equitable, and culturally safe workplaces and professional environments. As Engineers Canada continues its reconciliation journey, opportunities such as this Indigenous cultural safety training provide valuable space for reflection, learning, and dialogue, helping the organization to build the understanding needed to support respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples.