Hello. My name is Kelsey Wrightson. I'm the executive director at Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning.

We are a land-based post-secondary research and education institution that's based here in Chief Drygeese territory in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories. We do programming across the north that centres indigenous knowledge and knowledge holders in all stages of education and our research.

Our team has the privilege of learning alongside indigenous elders while we create multi-generational learning spaces for accredited post-secondary programs and also deliver and partner on award-winning research that integrates indigenous knowledge and knowledge keepers.

As I consider the question of integrating traditional knowledge into the government policy that directly impacts community wellness, security and prosperity, I offer the following: We must commit now to mobilizing indigenous knowledge to better understand and face the challenges of today, and we must invest in the future generations of knowledge keepers to ensure we're able to meet the challenges at our doorstep.

Over the last few decades, there has been growing recognition of the importance of indigenous knowledge, or traditional knowledge, across many fields of study. It is clear that integrating indigenous knowledge into research practice leads to better research and better evidence-based policies. Whether it's changes in the ice, monitoring fish in indigenous-protected and -conserved areas or understanding different models of governance, there is a deep and often underutilized knowledge held by elders, the language and the lands of indigenous nations. Many researchers will tell you that working alongside indigenous knowledge holders on their own lands is the best and most effective way to conduct research.

Fundamental to the integration of indigenous knowledge into government policy is the respect for the distinctions-based approach to traditional knowledge, acknowledging the diversity of knowledge systems across regions and cultures. Government policy must make space for distinctions in policy development and implementation to be most effective.

Along with recognizing the importance of indigenous knowledge-informed research practice, we've also witnessed an increase in mechanisms and channels for integrating traditional knowledge into government policy. For example, tri-council funding agencies have a dedicated strategic plan to support indigenous research and research training in Canada, and indigenous-led non-profits are eligible to hold research grants.

The development of co-management boards and a commitment to the co-development of policies prior to implementation have been important shifts in the mechanisms through which indigenous knowledge and research inform policy. At Dechinta, we have the privilege of working with elders who have spent decades—a lifetime—on the land. Nevertheless, those most directly connected to the land and the changes that they see are rarely at the consultation and engagement tables.

Supporting community-engaged research in partnership is an important step to ensuring that those voices and perspectives are appropriately considered in policy-making that most affects them. However, I must restate that in addition to considering integrating traditional knowledge, there must also be a commitment to and investment in intergenerational learning, because knowledge is not static—it evolves and it grows—and only through creating relationships of learning and sharing indigenous knowledge and practices will we give ourselves, as a country, our best chance to tackle issues that threaten indigenous and northern communities today.

You cannot have strong co-management boards and you cannot have indigenous knowledge and western ways of knowing strengthening collective knowledge generation and you cannot implement policies that integrate traditional knowledge without also ensuring that this knowledge is generated and shared across generations by investing in the relationships that build the next generations of knowledge holders, of elders and of researchers.

Good research takes time, and research that includes indigenous knowledge can require even more attention and the building of strong relationships of trust from the outset. When done right, that yields better results and benefits for all communities.

Investing in the future of indigenous knowledge holders through indigenous and research-based organizations and institutions is our best chance to ensure that this knowledge is integrated into policies that will solve our most pervasive and rapidly accelerating issues across Canada.

Mahsi cho. Thank you very much.

Transcript

Discussions (0)