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ABSTRACT
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls for closing education gaps between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Canadians as part of the real work of reconciliation, that is, walking the decolonization talk. In Nunavik, a part of Inuit Nunangat, addressing these education gaps is complex, requiring trust building between educational institutions and Inuit communities. In Nunavik’s 14 communities, there are only two Inuit who hold Bachelor of Social Work degrees. Establishing or rebuilding trust is extraordinarily difficult given ongoing colonial policies and institutional structures that disregard Inuit experience. This article describes the journey of developing a Bachelor of Social Work degree program in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, to be called Inulirijiit, in the context of the history of social welfare for Nunavimmiut and how Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008–2015) and the Public Inquiry Commission on Relations between Indigenous Peoples and Certain Public Services in Québec (Viens Commission, 2019) have shaped contemporary social work education and practice. We argue that the Bachelor of Social Work degree program must have at its center Inuit ways of knowing, learning, teaching, and being.
[Inuktitut: Kuujjuaq, Nunavik District] ᐃᒻᒥᒎᓕᖓᔪᑦ: ᓱᓕᔪᒥᒃ ᒪᒥᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑎᒌᒃᑐᐃᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐱᖁᔨᕗᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᕐᓂᒧᑦ ᐃᓱᐃᓗᑕᐅᓕᕐᓯᒪᔪᒥᒃ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᓪᓗ ᐅᒃᑯᐊᓯᔪᒪᓕᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᓪᓚᕆᐅᒻᒪᑦ ᒪᒥᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᐃᒫᒃ, ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓯᓗᓂ ᓱᒃᑯᔨᐊᖑᓯᒪᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᒃᑯᑦ. ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐃᓕᓴᕐᓂᒧᑦ ᐃᓱᐃᓪᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓵᖕᖓᒋᐊᖏᑦ ᐱᔭᕐᓃᑦᑑᒻᒪᑕ, ᐅᑉᐱᕈᓱᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᖕᖓᕕᑦᑖᕆᐊᖃᕐᒪᑎᒃ ᐃᓕᓴᕐᓂᒧᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᕕᐅᔪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᖏᑦ. ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ 14-ᖑᔪᑦ, ᒪᕐᕈᐃᓐᓇᐅᒻᒪᑎᒃ ᐃᓕᓴᕕᑦᔪᐊᒥ ᐱᔭᕇᕈᑎᑖᖅᓯᒪᔫᒃ ᐃᓄᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᑐᖕᖓᕕᓕᐅᕋᓱᐊᕐᓗᓂ ᐅᕝᕙᓗ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᖃᑦᑕᐅᑎᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᓯᒐᓱᐊᕐᓗᓂ ᐱᔭᕐᓃᑦᑐᒻᒪᕆᐅᒻᒪᑦ ᐊᑑᑎᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓵᓚᖅᑳᖃᕐᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᑐᐊᒐᕆᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᕈᑕᐅᔪᓪᓗ ᐋᖅᑭᓱᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᑉᐱᒍᓱᒐᓛᒐᑎᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᑑᑎᖃᑦᑕᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ. ᑖᓐᓇ ᐊᓪᓚᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓇᓗᓀᕐᓯᕗᖅ ᐊᑑᑎᔭᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᔭᕇᕈᑎᑖᕐᓂᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᕕᑦᔪᐊᒥ ᐃᓄᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑎᐅᒍᓐᓇᓯᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᒐᔭᕐᑐᖅ, ᑰᑦᔪᐊᒥ, ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ, ᐃᓄᓕᕆᔩᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᓄᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᓱᓕᔪᒥᒃ ᒪᒥᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑎᑦᓯᓯᒪᓂᖓ (2008-ᒥᑦ-2015-ᒧᑦ) ᓇᐅᑐᐃᓐᓀᓪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒋᐊᕐᕕᐅᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᕕᐅᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑎᒌᖑᓐᓇᓂᖏᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᓯᒪᔪᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᐅᑐᐃᓐᓇᓄᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᖃᓲᑦ ᐱᒍᑦᔨᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᑯᐯᒻᒥ (ᐊᑎᖃᕐᑐᒥ ᕓᓐ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᒥᒃ, 2019) ᐋᖅᑭᓱᐃᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᐊᑑᑎᔭᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓕᕆᔨᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᕈᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑭᐅᒍᑎᑦᓴᖃᒃᐳᒍᑦ ᑕᒪᑦᓱᒧᖓ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐱᔭᕇᕈᑎᑖᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓐᓇᓯᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᑐᖕᖓᕕᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᒪᑕ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᕐᒥᒍᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐃᓕᓴᕐᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐃᓕᓴᕐᑎᑕᐅᓗᑎᓪᓗ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓚᐅᓪᓚᕆᒍᓐᓇᓯᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the first Inuit BSW holders, Lolly Annahatak and Mary Mesher, and all others caring for Nunavik’s communities from the heart.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. Nunavik is the Inuit territory in the northern part of Quebec; Nunavik is one of four Inuit territories in Canada comprising Inuit Nunangat, or Inuit Homeland.
2. High school in Quebec consists of Secondary 1 through Secondary 5 followed by two years of Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP). Secondary 4 is equivalent to Grade 10 and Secondary 5 is Grade 11 in the rest of Canada. If a student has been educated in Quebec, an undergraduate university degree is three years.
3. Under Bill 21.2, reserved acts, that is, health or social services professional activities, can only be performed by “a person [who has] train[ed] for a profession who is authorized to engage in professional activities reserved for members of such an order.” 2005, c. 32, a. 56; 2008, c. 11, a. 212, Loi sur les Services de Santé et les Services sociaux, https://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/document/cs/s-4.2?langCont=fr#se:108_2
4. Bill 21, a Quebec regulation that came into effect in 2009, defines who can provide services under the titles of psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist, vocational guidance counselor, and psychoeducator. See An Act to Amend the Professional Code and Other Legislative Provisions in the Field of Mental Health and Human Relations, National Assembly [of Quebec], 1st session, 39th legislature, assented to June 19, 2009, http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=5&file=2009C28A.PDF. Note that the 2009 Bill 21 is not to be confused with Quebec’s 2019 Bill 21, An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State.
5. Inuit Nunangat is composed of four regions across Canada comprising the Inuit homeland: from west to east, Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut.
6. Pilimmaksarniq = skills and knowledge acquisition; Piliraqatigiiniq = collaborative relationships and working together for a common practice; Tunnganarniq = building positive spirit, being approachable, humble, hospitable, respectful; Inunnguiniq = learning through observation and hands-on activities.
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Notes on contributors
Nicole Lamb Ives
Nicole Lamb Ives was born and raised in New York City and is a mother of three young men. She identifies as a Black woman who is a descendant of African American, German, Slovakian, Hungarian, Seminole, and Cherokee Peoples. She is an associate professor in the School of Social Work, director of the Master of Social Work program, and co-founder of Indigenous Access McGill, a program that supports Indigenous students in the School of Social Work.
Wanda Gabriel
Wanda Gabriel is from Kanehsatake, Kanieke’ha:ke nation. She is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at McGill University and the director of Indigenous Access McGill. She draws on traditional teachings, social work theories, and experiential techniques that guide her research and practices as a national trainer and facilitator.