New Métis education doctorate program announced at the University of Regina

The University of Regina and the Gabriel Dumont Institute are coming together to ensure there are more educational opportunities for the Métis community.

It’s a significant step for the Métis in Saskatchewan not only in renewing its partnership with the University of Regina, but also cementing its legacy in education for generations to come.

“You know, our grandparents and great grandparents didn’t have an opportunity to get an education. So we’ve worked very hard with our partners. We started in 1980. So, it’s been 44 years. We’ve delivered education for 44 years, teacher training for 44 years,” said Mike Relland, Métis Knowledge Keeper.

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The program took its first steps 44 years ago and has only been growing since then.

“The students actually came up to me and said are you ever going to do a doctorate? And I went, well, yeah, because it was when you look back 40 years, 44 years. This was not even on the radar, you know, so far beyond what we believe we could do that we didn’t even think about. But here we are,” said Relland.

The new doctorate program is part of the university’s efforts to train Métis teachers.

The program lasts three years and emphasizes teachings of Métis local knowledge, history, spirituality, and culture.

The program is being offered in prince albert through the University of Regina’s faculty of education.

“We’ve shared a lot of cultural and traditional experiences, but I think the most important is we actually shared our lived experiences. And a lot of them we’ve come to the conclusion have been negative and positive, but we move forward,” said Joanne Tremblay, Indigenous education doctoral student.

The two partners added this partnership will help to create pathways for academic and personal success for Métis students, and a bright future for all.