Registration open for the 2025 National Building Reconciliation Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 26, 2024

Registration open for the 2025 National Building Reconciliation Forum

Regina, Saskatchewan — Registration is now open for the 2025 National Building Reconciliation Forum, co-hosted by the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) and the University of Regina (U of R) on Treaty 4 territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation. This year’s Forum takes place in Regina on May 14-15, focusing on the theme Responsibility as Reconciliation: Relational Accountability.

This event will bring together Canadian university presidents and leadership teams, Indigenous leaders, student representatives, and scholars dedicated to advancing meaningful reconciliation, with an overarching goal of connecting Indigenous and university communities to facilitate dialogue and drive meaningful systemic change, support Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation efforts.

2025 marks a decade since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action. The Forum will reinforce the responsibility that higher education leaders have to listen, collaborate, and build partnerships with Indigenous peoples in relation to the Calls to Action.

“Reconciliation is about relationships—honoring our truths, listening deeply, and walking together with humility and respect. It is not a destination, but a lifelong journey rooted in accountability, action, and shared responsibility,” explains Dr. Jacqueline Ottmann, President, FNUniv. “As we mark ten years since the TRC’s Calls to Action, we must ask ourselves: Have we truly listened? Have we carried forward the knowledge gifted to us? Have we upheld our responsibilities? This gathering is a time to sit in circle, share our truths, and commit to meaningful change, led by Indigenous voices, knowledges, and ways of knowing.”

Keynote Speakers

The forum will feature distinguished keynote speakers who have played a pivotal role in reconciliation efforts across Canada:

• Eugene Arcand – Residential school survivor and advocate, sharing his lived experiences and teachings on the path to reconciliation.
• Dr. Marie Wilson & Chief Wilton Littlechild – Former Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) commissioners reflecting on the progress made in the past decade and the continued need for accountability.
• Dr. Verna St. Denis – Leading scholar on anti-Indigenous racism in education, speaking on the systemic barriers that continue to affect Indigenous students and faculty in post-secondary institutions.

Featured Speakers and Cultural Events

The forum will include panel discussions, cultural activities, and artistic performances that reflect Indigenous perspectives and lived experiences:

• Dr. Jacqueline Ottmann (President, FNUniv) & Dr. Jeff Keshen (President, U of R) – Speaking on the role of post-secondary leadership in reconciliation and how universities can take action toward real and lasting change.
• Cadmus Delorme (Former Chief, Cowessess First Nation & U of R Board Chair) & Sherry Saevil (FNUniv Board Chair) – Discussing the role of university boards in embedding Indigenous perspectives into institutional governance.
• Dr. Blair Stonechild (FNUniv scholar and author) – Presenting the history of FNUniv’s founding and the evolution of Indigenous post-secondary education.
• Peter Brass (FNUniv Arts Collection Manager) – Leading a traditional hide scraping workshop, demonstrating the significance of Indigenous knowledge, sustainability, and cultural resilience.
• Colleen Charles (FNUniv Indigenous Studies Faculty) – Leading an interactive art workshop called Reconciliation on Canvas that encompasses brief historical and contemporary contexts of Indigenous peoples. This is a form of healing through art.
• Juno Award-winning artist William Prince – Performing at the evening banquet, offering a musical reflection on reconciliation through storytelling.
• Zoey Roy – Closing the forum with a spoken word performance, weaving together themes of Indigenous knowledge, identity, and reconciliation.

“When different post-secondary institutions from across Canada can come together and work toward a common goal, it makes our shared commitment to reconciliation even stronger and more tangible,” said Dr. Jeff Keshen, President and Vice-Chancellor, U of R. “We are looking forward to welcoming other post-secondary leaders to our campuses in May, where we will reflect on the past, have meaningful conversations about the future, and take positive and constructive steps forward in our individual and collective journeys toward reconciliation.”

With the support of Universities Canada, this forum will help post-secondary institutions reflect on their role in reconciliation, moving forward in ways that are accountable and informed by Indigenous perspectives.

Visit the 2025 NBRF website for more information (including a full event agenda) and to register.

Media Inquiries:

Kristin Francis, Director of Communications
First Nations University of Canada
Phone: 306-790-5950 Ext. 2518
Email: comm@firstnationsuniversity.ca

Mindy Ellis, Communications Strategist
University of Regina
Phone: 306-585-5422
Email: Mindy.Ellis@uregina.ca

Lisa Wallace, Assistant Director, Communications 

Universities Canada 

Email: communications@univcan.ca  

About First Nations University of Canada

Established in 1976, the First Nations University of Canada is Canada’s only national First Nations-owned post-secondary institution. FNUniv is a unique educational institution of higher learning specializing in Indigenous Education for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of all cultural backgrounds. Our Vision is to aspire to have a transformative impact by bridging our ceremonies, knowledge keepers, languages, and traditions with the delivery of high-quality post-secondary education. For more information, please visit www.fnuniv.ca.

About the University of Regina

2024 marked our 50^th anniversary as an independent university (although our roots as Regina College date back more than a century!). As we celebrate our past, we work towards a future that is as limitless as the prairie horizon. We support the health and well-being of our more than 17,200 students and provide them with hands-on learning opportunities to develop into career-ready graduates – more than 92,000 alumni enrich communities in Saskatchewan and around the globe. Our research enterprise has grown to 21 research centres and includes 9 Canada Research Chairs. Our campuses are on Treaties 4 and 6 – the territories of the nêhiyawak, Anihšināpēk, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda peoples, and the homeland of the Michif/Métis nation. We seek to grow our relationships with Indigenous communities to build a more inclusive future.

Let’s go far, together.

About Universities Canada

Universities Canada is the voice of Canada’s universities at home and abroad, advancing higher education, research and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians.

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