Indigenous Citizenship Verification in Employment-Related Opportunities (ICVERO) Working Group

On Thursday, February 2, 2023, the Indigenous Citizenship Verification in Employment-Related Opportunities at McGill (ICVERO) Working Group met for the first time over Zoom. The meeting was facilitated by the Working Group Chair and Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives) at McGill University, Celeste Pedri-Spade.

The internal Working Group members present were: (1) Prof. Richard Budgell; (2) Prof. Diane Dechief; (3) Prof. Geraldine King; and (4) Prof. Alyssa Bader. The external community-based members present were: (1) Ms. Patricia Oakes; (2) Mr. Michael Mitchell; (3) Ms. Melanie Howard; and (4) Mr. Michael Loft.

After a welcome by the Chair and a round of introductions, the Working Group reviewed the draft Terms of Reference document prepared by the Chair. The goals of the Terms of Reference were outlined: to ground the work of the Working Group and provide it guiding commitments and responsibilities, such as centering its work in care and kinship, keeping an open mind, and being patient with what others have to say.

A brief overview then took place of the Indigenous citizenship conversation taking place nationally. The Chair spoke of how universities across Canada are at different stages of developing a policy on Indigenous citizenship verification, and of the upcoming National Indigenous Citizenship Forum (March 21 & 22, 2023), which Working Group members were encouraged to attend.

The Working Group composition was then discussed. While the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) did its best to reflect diverse Indigenous experiences in the Working Group while also honouring territoriality, the group discussed the importance of consulting with those from other Nations/groups to fill in gaps in the Working Group.

Finally, the Working Group discussed the meaning and complexities of the term citizenship. Citizenship, it discussed, emerged as a response to Indigenous self-identification or an honor system that predominates in post-secondary institutions. In this context, identity is about one’s personal right to identify as something. Citizenship, on the other hand, relates to what you claim and the people or Nation that claim you.

The Working Group discussed the importance of including the limitations of the term in the Terms of Reference, noting that space should be made for those whose citizenship has been impacted and that, depending on the community, a word other than citizenship may be used (e.g., in the Inuit context, Beneficiary is often used).

On Thursday, February 16, 2023, the Indigenous Citizenship Verification in Employment-Related Opportunities at McGill (ICVERO) Working Group met for the second time over Zoom.

The internal Working Group members present were: (1) Prof. Richard Budgell; (2) Prof. Diane Dechief; (3) Prof. Geraldine King; (4) Prof. Alyssa Bader; and (5) Ms. Ann Deer. The external community-based members present were: (1) Ms. Patricia Oakes; (2) Mr. Michael Mitchell; (3) Ms. Melanie Howard; and (4) Mr. Michael Loft. The Chair, Prof. Celeste Pedri-Spade was in attendance.

The meeting began with a review of the Terms of Reference for the Working Group, which was revised by the Chair following the previous Working Group discussion. The group accepted the revisions, which included adding a footnote addressing the meaning and complexities of the term citizenship in this context (see Terms of Reference, page 1).

Following this, the Working Group discussed the commitments McGill has made to hiring Indigenous peoples—outlined in its Calls to Action (see Calls #44 and #52)—and how this connects to its task of developing policies and procedures related to Indigenous citizenship verification in hiring. The Calls to Action were McGill’s institutional response to Truth and Reconciliation, which is itself a response to the residential school system in Canada. Considering this, the Working Group discussed how Indigenous hiring at McGill must consider and respond to those impacted by the residential school system.

The group then had a preliminary discussion of different criteria that could be used by the university to determine Indigenous citizenship for the purpose of hiring at McGill, such as demonstrating a connection to a people, culture, place, values, language, etc. The importance of using Nation- and community-specific criteria was emphasized here, as was the importance of listening to candidates’ understandings of what lived experiences they carry as an Indigenous person. It should also be clear what’s expected of them (i.e., which experiences they should bring to the university) from their unit, department, or faculty.

Finally, the Working Group began planning the internal dialogue sessions set to take place in the spring. The sessions will serve as an opportunity for all self-identifying Indigenous faculty and staff at McGill to provide key input to the Working Group. Before the next Working Group meeting, the Chair would draft guiding questions based on the previous two discussions.

On Thursday, March 2, 2023, the Indigenous Citizenship Verification in Employment-Related Opportunities at McGill (ICVERO) Working Group met for the third time over Zoom. The meeting was facilitated by the Working Group Chair and Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives) at McGill University, Celeste Pedri-Spade.

The internal Working Group members present were: (1) Prof. Richard Budgell; (2) Prof. Diane Dechief; (3) Prof. Geraldine King; (4) Prof. Alyssa Bader; and (5) Ms. Ann Deer. The external community-based members present were: (1) Ms. Patricia Oakes; (2) Mr. Michael Mitchell; and (3) Mr. Michael Loft.

The meeting began with a discussion of the upcoming National Indigenous Citizenship Forum (March 21 & 22, 2023), which Working Group members were encouraged to attend with the support of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII). The group discussed the “individual cultural credentials” required to register for the Forum (i.e., an all-Indigenous space), such as: “your traditional / given name, who gave it to you, your clan, what knowledge transfers you have and who transferred that knowledge, what territory you are connected to, what family line(s), and/or what other claims or connections you may have to Indigenous citizenship.” This was discussed as an example of how Indigenous citizenship claims can be verified or elaborated on in order to preserve the integrity of Indigenous-only spaces.

The Working Group then reviewed the draft internal dialogue questions prepared by the Chair. These questions would help guide the discussions with self-identifying Indigenous faculty and staff at McGill related to what they would like to see in the policy and procedures produced by the Working Group. The questions reviewed are as follows:

1. What kinds of knowledges and life experiences do we expect individuals identifying as ‘Indigenous’ should have in the context of opportunities devoted to preferential Indigenous hires?
2. What are your thoughts on what explicit requirements should be outlined for those claiming Indigeneity in the recruitment process?
3. How would McGill go about confirming or validating that these requirements have indeed been met by the applicant?
4. Are you aware of any other universities that have created policies and processes related to confirming claims to Indigeneity that are seen to be effective?
5. If new requirements are enacted, what would be a reasonable course of action for those faculty members who do not meet them?
6. How may universities go about addressing any existing tenuous claims to Indigeneity within their university community?

As part of this review, the Working Group discussed how McGill currently has no Indigenous citizenship verification policy and that no documentary evidence of Indigenous citizenship is required of those seeking employment as an Indigenous hire. At the same time, it discussed the limitations of documentary evidence; that is, though it speaks to whether someone is recognized, it doesn’t always speak to their lived experiences, kinship relations, etc. as an Indigenous person. The Working Group also discussed that a person’s story outlining their lived experience isn’t solely reliable as stories can be mis-claimed by individuals.

The Working Group also asked: Who are we talking about when we use the word “Indigenous”? Should the criteria for citizenship verification be different depending on which position a candidate is applying for (e.g., a senior administrative leadership role versus a math professor)? After some discussion, the group agreed that the citizenship verification process and its criteria should be the same for all those applying irregardless of the position.

The meeting summary will be uploaded shortly.

The meeting summary will be uploaded shortly.

The meeting summary will be uploaded shortly after the meeting takes place.

The meeting summary will be uploaded shortly after the meeting takes place.

The meeting summary will be uploaded shortly after the meeting takes place.

The meeting summary will be uploaded shortly after the meeting takes place.

The meeting summary will be uploaded shortly after the meeting takes place.

The meeting summary will be uploaded shortly after the meeting takes place.