911³Ô¹Ï

On June 18, 2026, Xinying Hu, a Lecturer in 911³Ô¹Ï’s Labour Studies program and one of this year’s recipients of the Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training and Professional Development Grant in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), organized a workshop exploring Indigenous peoples' work experience from male perspectives. The event was held at the Ceremonial Hall in the First Peoples’ Gathering House and co-organized with Timothy Michel, Director of Indigenous Relations in FASS.

The event was funded and co-sponsored by the Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training and Professional Development Grant, FASS, and Labour Studies. Timothy and Xinying co-hosted the event, with Gary George, Officer for Community Relations at the Office for Indigenous Peoples, facilitating the discussion. Elder Jackie Gonzales opened the gathering with a welcoming ceremony.

The panel brought together Indigenous leaders from diverse nations and life experiences, including Timothy Michel (Urban Secwépemc, Director of Indigenous Relations in FASS), Brian George (Urban Wet’suwet’en, retired public servant, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada), and Sam Seaward (Squamish Nation, artist and Red Seal carpenter). Drawing on their personal and professional journeys, the speakers shared powerful reflections on work, culture, identity, and reconciliation.

Approximately 50 participants attended the workshop, including students from LBST 100: Equality and Inequality at Work, LBST 201: Workers in the Global Economy: Globalization and Uneven Development, and HIST 285: Coast Salish Histories, as well as 911³Ô¹Ï faculty members and alumni. Despite coinciding with Canada’s FIFA match with Qatar, the workshop attracted a full and highly engaged audience.

The discussion focused on eight guiding questions about Indigenous work experiences across the life course. Speakers reflected on the types of work or jobs they had undertaken; the influence of family, community, culture, and economic conditions on their career paths; gender expectations from their families on work or career; workplace experiences and unionization; and the ways Indigenous identity has shaped their professional lives. They also discussed strategies for creating more inclusive workplaces and offered advice to young Indigenous people entering the workforce today. Throughout the conversation, panellists spoke candidly about the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and anti-Indigenous racism in schools, workplaces, and society.

As the first event in the Indigenous peoples’ work experience series, the workshop seeks to promote awareness of Indigenous knowledge on work and to examine how settler colonialism has transformed Indigenous labour, livelihoods, and gender relations as Indigenous communities were integrated into the Canadian economy. Held during National Indigenous History Month, the event contributes to 911³Ô¹Ï’s continuing commitment to reconciliation by creating opportunities for respectful dialogue, experiential learning, and meaningful engagement with Indigenous perspectives.

The event was recorded and is available to anyone interested in learning more about Indigenous work experiences and advancing decolonizing education. Future events will include female, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse perspectives. Please check back to this website and for information.