Building Reconciliation Forum

The Building Reconciliation Forum advances the work of universities in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. 

The first Building Reconciliation Forum was hosted in 2015, in part as a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Since, the forum has been hosted by different universities across the country to meaningfully engage with local communities and facilitate conversations about strengthening Indigenous education, building Indigenous leadership capacity, advancing Indigenous research and promoting Indigenous governance at universities.

The Forum actively engages participants in workshops, presentations and conversations centered around reconciliation within post-secondary education. This annual event brings together university presidents and administrators, Indigenous faculty and community leaders, government decision makers, researchers and students to share ideas and, ultimately, bolster Indigenous education and reconciliation efforts on Canadian university campuses.

Passage of ceremonial items

A significant and meaningful moment at the start of each Building Reconciliation Forum involves the passage of ceremonial items from one Forum host to the next. Once received, the ceremonial item remains with the host university until the next Building Reconciliation Forum. The most recent host university then offers a new item to be presented at the next Building Reconciliation Forum.