Establishing a Framework for Reconciliation Action and Awareness within the Canadian Archival Community

Summary:

In 2016, the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives established the Response to the Report on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce (TRC-TF). The TRC-TF, comprised of archivists and Indigenous heritage professionals from across Canada, was mandated through TRC Call to Action #70 to conduct a review of Indigenous community outreach policies and best practices in Canada, and to identify potential barriers to reconciliation efforts between the archival community and Indigenous recordkeepers and researchers. 

Comprised of Indigenous and non-Indigneous archivists located across Canada, the Taskforce concluded its research in the summer of 2019 and for the next five months engaged the Canadian archival community and the Indigenous heritage community in an iterative public review process of its research-based recommendations. This process has emphasized dialogue, ongoing engagement with Indigenous record keepers and communities, and relationship building. 

This roundtable session is an opportunity to engage with TRC-TF members and will present the final “living” reconciliation framework for Canada’s archives and provide an opportunity for dialogue about reconciliation, archival decolonization, and collaborative approaches to stewardship of Indigenous archival material. 

Presenter:

Erica Hernández-Read

Erica Hernández-Read is Head of the Northern BC Archives and Special Collections at the University of Northern British Columbia. Ms. Hernández-Read is Co-Chair of the Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce of the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives and is a member of the Indigitization Program Steering Committee.

Donald Johnson

Donald is the Special Media Archivist with the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan. Donald’s archival practice bridges communities of practice and transforms operational cultures. Through guidance, collaboration, and education, Donald strives to build confidence and capacity in those he serves. Donald is a member of the Lytton First Nation located at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers in British Columbia. Donald has degrees in Archival Studies (MAS), Fine Arts (BFA), Linguistics (BA), and Computer Science (BSC).

Marnie Burnham

Marnie is the Manager of Regional Services at Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Marnie began her career at LAC in 1998 as an archivist. In her current role, she manages LAC’s team of archivists and technicians providing services via LAC’s offices in Halifax, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Marnie has a Master’s in Archival Studies from UBC.

Jennifer Jansen

Jennifer has been working with Tsawwassen First Nation since 2010. Along with her main role as Information Management Coordinator, she is also the Tsawwassen Government’s FOI officer, manages TFN’s Registry of Laws, acts as the back-up Indian Registry Administrator, and is the Clerk for the TFN Judicial Council.

Rita Mogyorosi

Rita has held various positions in Aboriginal, provincial, and federal government and academic settings since 2004, including Stó:lō Nation, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and Simon Fraser University. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and University of Winnipeg Joint Master's Program in Archival Studies with a thesis focused on Aboriginal archives in BC set in Canadian and international contexts. She is currently the Records and Information Officer at PavCo, a provincial Crown Corporation in BC.

Sara Janes

Sara Janes is University Archivist for Lakehead University, and is also a contract lecturer with the Department of History. Sara’s work focuses on collection development, digital preservation, and improving access to historical documents through outreach and public engagement. Other projects include work with the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, the Northwestern Ontario Archivists’ Association, the Archives Association of Ontario, and the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce. 

Raegan Swanson

Raegan serves as the Executive Director at The ArQuives: Canada’s LGBTQ2+ Archives. She holds a BA from Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface and a Masters of Information from the University of Toronto iSchool. She has worked as an archivist at LAC, the TRC of Canada, Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute and as the Archival Advisor for the Council of Archives New Brunswick. She is currently working on her PhD focusing on the role of community archives in Indigneous communities. She is a member of the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives – Response to the Report on the Truth and Reconciliation Task Force.