McMaster to host the 2027 National Building Reconciliation Forum

HAMILTON — McMaster University has been selected by Universities Canada following a national review process led by an independent committee to host the 2027 National Building Reconciliation Forum. The forum will be held at McMaster’s vibrant main campus in Hamilton, Ontario from June 8 to 11 inclusive and will welcome post-secondary leadership, Indigenous faculty, staff and students, community leaders and government decision makers from across Canada. 

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 Beverly 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.”  

The forum will provide a national space for dialogue, collaboration and action on reconciliation in 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. 

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.  

“We are grateful for the chance to host the National Building Reconciliation Forum,” said McMaster president Susan Tighe. “Advancing reconciliation is a critical priority for McMaster, and this allows us to make a meaningful contribution while also facilitating an opportunity for our community of Indigenous scholars and students to participate in a program of national magnitude.” 

Programming will be guided by the priorities in the 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.  

The 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.  

“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.  

Further details on the program agenda and a dedicated event website are still to come.  

For more information please contact: 

Ian Maracle 
Communications Officer, Office of the Vice-Provost, Indigenous 
McMaster University 
[email protected] 

Michael Beattie 
Manager, Media Relations 
McMaster University 
[email protected]