Across Canada, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 calls us to acknowledge the painful truth and lasting harms of residential schools, honour Survivors and remember the children who never returned home.
At McMaster, it also reminds us of our responsibility to Indigenous students, faculty, staff and communities, and of the importance of Indigenous knowledge, perspectives and scholarship to the life of the university. This is why Indigenous Reconciliation is one of the foundations of Bolder Together, our new strategic plan. It shapes how we teach, learn, conduct research, make decisions and understand our responsibilities to one another and to the communities we serve.
Listening and learning are important starting points. But reconciliation also requires action. This is why, as provost, I have invited members of Provost Council to spend our September 30 meeting discussing our collective commitments to reconciliation.
Provost Council meets weekly, bringing together broad academic and administrative leadership from across McMaster, including deans, vice-provosts, associate vice-presidents and leaders responsible for students, teaching and learning, equity and inclusion, technology, libraries, museums, legal counsel, academic planning and other university priorities.
At this meeting, we will build on recent discussions about Indigenous priorities, review work already underway and identify where further action is needed. This includes continued attention to Indigenous education and student success, Indigenous research and scholarship, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities, and the work of embedding Indigenous perspectives and knowledge across the institution.
This is not the only place where this work is happening. In my role as provost, I am Co-Chair of the Joint Indigenous-Administrative Consultation Group, or JIACG, which brings together senior university leaders and Indigenous community leaders at McMaster. It is an important space for dialogue, planning and shared accountability.
I am also grateful to work closely with Dr. Beverley Jacobs, Vice-Provost (Indigenous). Her leadership and perspective have been important to our discussions and to advancing my own understanding of the experiences and priorities of Indigenous students, faculty, staff and communities.
McMaster’s commitment to reconciliation will take on added significance as we prepare to host the National Building Reconciliation Forum in June 2027. The Forum will bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, faculty, staff, community members and post-secondary leaders from across Canada to advance reconciliation in higher education. Hosting the Forum is an opportunity for McMaster to listen, learn and examine our own work alongside colleagues and communities from across the country.
I encourage every member of our community to make time on September 30 to learn, reflect and take part in the opportunities and resources available on campus.
Those opportunities are a meaningful place to begin. What matters is how we carry what we learn into our teaching, research, leadership, decisions and relationships. Reconciliation requires sustained attention, humility and action, on September 30 and throughout the year.
Maureen MacDonald Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Community, Indigenous
Community, University Leadership
Community, Teaching & Learning