Walking the path of Truth and Reconciliation

A documentary outlining the Price Faculty of Engineering’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and respectful, relational, and reciprocal collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, has recently been released. Titled, Building Bridges, Decolonizing Engineering at the University of Manitoba, the documentary highlights how the faculty is gradually fostering an environment that takes accountability for the past while working to build a better future for Indigenous students, staff, faculty and communities. The documentary was supported by the UM Indigenous Initiatives Fund and lead by Ella Morris, a Métis and Icelandic Indigenous Scholar and instructor in Biosystems Engineering and Jillian Seniuk Cicek, an Associate Professor of European ancestry in the Department of Engineering Education. It was created by Birchbark Productions and features the course, ENG 2400: Decolonizing and Indigenizing Engineering and its profound impact on students and faculty.

Launched in Winter 2022, ENG 2400: Decolonizing and Indigenizing Engineering (previously ENG 4100), brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous engineering students to learn from Indigenous engineers, educators and leaders, and reflect on the ways that engineering can emphasize and incorporate Indigenous Knowledges, perspectives and worldviews into the profession, and how engineers can and should respectfully interact with Indigenous communities. The course was created and is taught by Randy Herrmann, Métis Professional Engineer and Director of the Engineering Access Program (ENGAP), Morris and Seniuk Cicek, and is part of their response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. Through the course, students are equipped with the knowledges and perspectives necessary to collaborate respectfully with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Manitoba and throughout Canada. While new graduates may not be able to create immediate change, they can start the conversations, and as they move into more senior roles in their careers, they may be able to influence meaningful cultural changes. Plans for the course include offering it annually and having it approved as an Indigenous Knowledge course at UM. The goal is to teach 50 to 60 students yearly, with the hope that the newly released documentary will spark curiosity and encourage more students to enroll.

Meaningful Reconciliation requires more than just words; it requires seeking the Truth, and it demands action. Morris and Seniuk Cicek tell us that this journey for engineering students, staff and faculty must begin with Truth, an essential step to understanding the harms of colonization, the Residential School System, and generations of systemic injustices inflicted on Indigenous Peoples that continue today. Reconciliation means working in respectful partnership with Indigenous communities to break down barriers and ensure Indigenous students, staff and faculty can thrive. It involves incorporating Indigenous Knowledges, perspectives and worldviews into engineering education while also recognizing that the responsibility for doing this work rests primarily on non-Indigenous people. Indigenous Peoples need to guide the process, but they should not be expected to carry its burden.

Turning reflection into action, the Price Faculty of Engineering ensures that reconciliation is not just discussed but practiced. To graduate, all engineering students must complete at least one three credit hour Indigenous content course offered at UM. This ensures that future engineers have some knowledge of Indigenous Peoples prior to graduating. This reflects the faculty’s commitment to integrating Indigenous Knowledges into the curriculum and promoting historically accurate and culturally responsive education. This vision also aligns with UM’s Truth and Reconciliation Framework: Time for Action, which outlines four key commitments: integrating Indigenous knowledges and ways of being; creating a sense of belonging; empowering learning; decolonizing and Indigenizing spaces and places. These themes direct how UM is evolving its systems, policies and environments to engage more effectively with Indigenous communities, a commitment also being made by The Price Faculty of Engineering.

For example, the Price Faculty of Engineering has a successful Engineering Access Program (ENGAP), helping Indigenous students enter, prepare for and succeed in engineering, while offering a safe space and a home away from home. As of 2025, the program has graduated 177 Indigenous engineers, highlighting its impact and significance. One of those 177 graduates is Morris, who earned her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 and, in addition to her faculty position, is currently working on her PhD in Mechanical engineering. She shares, “The ENGAP program played a crucial role in my success. They provide a lot of support, like financial assistance and tutoring, but I think it is also about having someone in your corner. There were times when I was managing more than just coursework, and ENGAP supported me, allowing me to keep moving forward.” In keeping with the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, there is a strong need for engineers with Indigenous backgrounds, and the Price Faculty of Engineering plays an active role in helping to meet that need.

Truth and Reconciliation has also taken a visual form within the faculty. A large section of wall outside of the Dean’s Office and Engineering Student Services on the main floor of the Engineering and Information Technology Complex (EITC) has been transformed by a dynamic mural by Mike Valcourt, a local Cree and Métis artist. “The mural is about acknowledging the past and focusing on reclaiming that which was lost, using traditional methods”, said Valcourt. Its significance is discussed in the UM Today piece Dynamic mural sparks conversation and frames the newly released documentary. The Price Faculty of Engineering is also in the process of installing additional pieces of art by Indigenous artists throughout EITC to enhance the spaces, work being supported by Seniuk Cicek and Herrmann. The Dean of the Price Faculty of Engineering, Marcia Friesen, tells us, “The engineering profession has been central to the development of Manitoba and Canada, bringing European settlers’ visions of energy, infrastructure, agriculture and other elements of economic development to life. Over time, we have come to understand the tremendous social and cultural costs of these approaches to many Indigenous communities. It is important for engineers and engineering students to tussle with this history and understand a better way forward for a future that includes everyone’s health and prosperity.”

These efforts reflect the broader institutional commitment described by Knowledge Keeper, Leslie Spillett, who emphasized that true progress is built on love, relationships, trust, truth-telling and promise-keeping. According to Spillett, this work requires individuals to lead with integrity, listen deeply, act with purpose and take full responsibility for what they do right, what they do wrong and what they fail to do.

At the Price Faculty of Engineering, Truth and Reconciliation goes beyond academics; it is work that needs to be embedded in its culture, environment, and in the everyday actions of its community. From ENGAP to the documentary, to the visual symbols in EITC, the faculty is making tangible efforts in their commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. Looking ahead, the faculty remains committed to building on this progress through a faculty-focused Truth and Reconciliation Action Plan and by deepening its collaboration with Indigenous communities. While meaningful steps have been taken, Morris and Seniuk Cicek remind us that Truth and Reconciliation is not a destination, but a lifelong commitment. It requires humility, a willingness to listen, and the courage to learn from mistakes. There is still much work to be done. As the late Honourable Murray Sinclair said, “Education got us into this mess and education will get us out of it.”