Simcoe Composite Secondary School
Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) outlined a pathway to address historic harms. As the 10th anniversary of the TRC's final report nears, only 16 of the 94 Calls to Action have seen meaningful progress.
Many Canadians question why various organizations, government levels, and public service agencies face barriers to change. Using the analogy of a bureaucratic machine, where employees are the gears, change requires adjusting all gears. If one gear is missed, the machine fails to operate. Reconciling Canada's historic wrongs demands time, patience, empathy, and a thorough understanding of settlement impacts. Every level of government and public sector agency must review and transform practices to implement the 94 Calls to Action.
Darren Thomas
Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Initiatives, Wilfrid Laurier University
Guest Speaker brought to you by:
Grand Erie Parent Involvement Committee (GEPIC)
Indigenous Education Advisory Committee (IEAC)
Dr. Darren Thomas is Bear Clan and a member of the Seneca Nation who resides at the Grand River Territory of the Haudenosaunee. Darren is the Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Initiatives and an Associate Professor in the Indigenous Studies Program at Wilfrid Laurier University. As a senior leader of Indigenous Initiatives at Laurier, he manages a staff team that is responsible to support Indigenous students, staff, and faculty by developing and implementing an Indigenous strategic plan for Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. Darren's personal research interests are: Indigenous thought and philosophy, Indigenous community development, strengthening and improving Indigenous health and well-being, Indigenous law, and Indigenous rights and resource governance.
Date: Thursday, May 22, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: In-person at JBLC Grand River Hall, 347 Erie Ave., or virtually.
