Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[Member spoke in the Denesuline language and provided the following translation:]

Hello. My name is Joseph Ignace David Dragon. I live in the Northwest Territories. We call our land Denendeh.

I am Dene, a descendent of the Denesuline, the people of the land. My mother is Jane Mercredi Dragon, who made the gift for you today. Mahsi. My father is David Pascal Dragon.

Mahsi for having us today.

The Canadian Mountain Network is a network of centres of excellence that began in 2019, pioneering ethical and equitable ways of conducting natural science that respect indigenous peoples, leading to better scientific and community outcomes.

CMN has submitted a proposal to the strategic science fund to formalize a transition to Braiding Knowledges Canada next spring at the conclusion of its NCE—network of centres of excellence—five-year term. The results of this competition will determine the next steps in planning, commencing this fall.

In only four years of operation, CMN has led groundbreaking research in the braiding of western and indigenous knowledge that has positioned Canada with an increased understanding of climate and biodiversity crises.

CMN was the first NCE to fund indigenous-led research, with 60% of the projects being indigenous-led or co-led, involving over 200 collaborators, 200 partner organizations and 43 universities in Canada.

Having recognized the historical devaluation of methodologies that do not match western research approaches, indigenous peoples have made a clear and repeated call for the federal government to respect and reflect indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being.

Federal, provincial and territorial governments are working to achieve this inclusion; however, inequities, exclusions and partialities persist because of the complexity of the challenge and, more fundamentally, because federal mandates and priorities must, by definition, be national in origin, scope and accountability. Indigenous knowledge and practices are often not reflected in research and decision-making in Canada, which are primarily influenced by conventional colonial science approaches, non-indigenous governance practices and economic drivers.

The ethical alignment of federal responsibilities with place-based and self-determined indigenous knowledge represents a defining question of Crown-indigenous relations in Canada.

Mr. Chair, it is both a challenge and an opportunity for reconciliation. Increasing the presence of local indigenous knowledge at the national level and national impact at the local level is how Braiding Knowledges Canada, the evolution and expansion of CMN beyond the Canadian mountain regions, will offer value to indigenous communities and the Government of Canada. We have demonstrated that research organizations can facilitate reconciliation through research and can help the Government of Canada successfully implement many measures outlined in the June 2023 UNDRIP action plan.

CMN has shifted mindsets and is building understanding by creating ethical spaces for knowledge co-production, a critical contribution to Canada’s commitment to reconciliation with indigenous peoples.

We’ve invested over $10 million in research and partnerships nationwide that combine natural, health and social sciences with humanities and place-based knowledge to address knowledge gaps and improve policy outcomes, including indigenous-protected and indigenous-conserved areas, or IPCAs; indigenous stewardship of bison restoration in Alberta; recovery of caribou in the central Rockies; reassertion of indigenous place names in the north; the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in transboundary Yukon salmon agreements; the inclusion of Mi’kmaq knowledge of aquatic ecosystems in Quebec; and community-based monitoring of climate and health in Nunatsiavut.

Mr. Chair, there is a need for experienced non-profits like ours—non-profits that are supported by first nations, Inuit and Métis researchers and communities and non-indigenous contributors to the research ecosystem—to facilitate linkages between indigenous-led, place-based, community-driven research and various cross-cutting federal priorities.

Following an organizational expansion, we can offer the collaborative space and opportunity for federal departments to connect with local knowledge and initiatives in a streamlined, meaningful and impactful way.

Our model has proven to be agile, yet very complementary in achieving a rapid success to date across disciplines and in achieving the support of federal, provincial and territorial governments.

Marsi, Mr. Chair.