Saturday, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day in Canada. As we acknowledge the tragic history and ongoing trauma of the Residential School system, which was established to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture, Engineers Canada staff wore orange last week to honour the survivors, their families, and communities. We are all active participants in the journey towards reconciliation. Our staff reflected on what we have done to advance truth and reconciliation in engineering, and what work we will continue to undertake.
In past years, we’ve released two reports on the current state of reconciliation in the engineering profession and in engineering education:
- We partnered with Big River Analytics on a pilot survey to explore the characteristics and experiences of Indigenous engineers in Manitoba, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan from their early education through to their professional experiences.
- In this report from Pam Wolf, P.Eng. and Nika Martinussen, Indigenous students, staff, and faculty in engineering faculties shared their experiences in engineering education and their visions for inclusive and just engineering faculties.
Engineers Canada also recently released the Guideline for Engineers and Engineering Firms on Indigenous Consultation and Engagement. The guideline promotes meaningful engagement between engineers and Indigenous communities when it comes to engineering work. Engineers Canada will host a webinar about the guideline on October 4 (register here).
We also encourage engineers to use this land acknowledgment guide to gain a deeper understanding of their own positionality, their role in reconciliation, and the value land has for Indigenous peoples.
To shape our commitment to truth and reconciliation, Engineers Canada’s Indigenous Advisory Committee met earlier this year to imagine and envision what reconciliation will look like for our organization and the broader engineering profession. This session led us to three overarching themes: research that acknowledges the truth of colonization; to continue challenging the gaps in education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous engineers caused by colonization; and to continue building reciprocal relationships with Indigenous peoples, organizations, and initiatives.
Engineers Canada is continually working on an action plan that addresses these themes, and will be sharing more info on our website and social media as it develops. Truth and reconciliation is not just for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, but something we must work towards, unwaveringly, every day.
