McMaster University will welcome Indigenous leaders, students, faculty, staff, researchers and post-secondary leaders from across Canada next year as the host of the 2027 National Building Reconciliation Forum.
The university was selected by Universities Canada following a national review process led by an independent committee. The committee recognized McMaster’s longstanding relationships with Indigenous communities, the strength of its Indigenous leadership and scholarship, and its sustained commitment to advancing reconciliation across the institution.
“I am honoured that McMaster has been selected to host the 2027 National Building Reconciliation Forum,” said Beverley Jacobs, vice-provost, Indigenous. “This opportunity builds on decades of relationships forged by Indigenous students, communities, leaders and partners, and it calls on us to continue the work through meaningful partnership, accountability and structural change.”
Expected to take place in June 2027, the forum will provide a national space for dialogue, collaboration and action on reconciliation in higher education.
The event will be supported by the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost with planning guided through collaboration with Indigenous leadership, campus partners and community members.
Programming will be guided by the priorities in Indigenous Strategic Directions, a framework for advancing Indigenous education, research, student success and reconciliation at McMaster.
It was developed in 2021 through a campus-wide collaborative process led by the Indigenous Education Council and the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute, with input from Indigenous students, faculty, staff, Elders, Knowledge Holders and community partners.
Indigenous Strategic Directions recognizes that advancing reconciliation is a shared responsibility. By creating opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to learn from one another, strengthen relationships and work together, the forum will help translate those commitments into action across higher education.
Issues to be explored at the forum include Indigenous data sovereignty, land-based and community-based learning, access to post-secondary education, cultural safety, policy change, and the role of Indigenous knowledge in teaching and research.
“McMaster’s leadership, community relationships and vision for the forum stood out in a strong field of applications,” says Gabriel Miller, president and CEO of Universities Canada. “We are confident the university will help create a meaningful and impactful gathering that connects post-secondary institutions and Indigenous communities from across the country.”
Planning for the forum will be guided by collaboration with local Indigenous partners, including Six Nations of the Grand River, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Hamilton’s Indigenous community. Elders, Indigenous students, faculty, staff, Knowledge Holders and community partners will play an important role in shaping the event and its lasting impact.
The National Building Reconciliation Forum supports universities’ efforts to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.
Since 2015, the forum has brought together Indigenous communities and post-secondary institutions from across the country to share knowledge, strengthen partnerships and advance reconciliation through higher education.
The Office of the Vice-Provost, Indigenous will be looking for volunteers for this. Feel free to inquire for more information.