Indigenous Engagement: the Engineer’s Role in Project Design and Delivery in the era of UNDRIP

March 20, 5pm in Kaiser 2020/2030.

In 2019, the BC government passed legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This emphasizes Indigenous peoples’ rights to live in dignity, to maintain and strengthen Indigenous institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue self-determined development, in keeping with Indigenous needs and aspirations.

While the implementation of UNDRIP is certainly a step forward toward reconciliation, there are still ongoing clashes between Indigenous and settler communities. This is most apparent in the current Indigenous-led movement opposing the construction of the Coastal Gaslink (CGL) Pipeline in the unceded territory of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

Engineers often find themselves as perpetrators of colonial violence by participating in similar projects, from the Coastal Gaslink and Trans-Mountain Pipelines, to the Site C Dam. As an industry, we should be asking ourselves “Why are these projects opposed by Indigenous communities, and what can we do to avoid this for future projects?”

Often times, these clashes between settlers and Indigenous communities could have been avoided by proper engagement and consultation with Indigenous communities. But what exactly does proper engagement mean? Why should we care? Does it matter whose opinions within the community are considered? And how do we as an industry create a culture and relationships that emphasize consent?

This panel event will strive to give settler engineering students a new perspective on Indigenous engagement–including what it may entail, and how to engage successfully. We hope that raising awareness on this topic pre-graduation will allow these students to carry on this knowledge throughout their careers. As the newest generation of engineers enter the workforce, we hope that they may be able to help the industry move towards a culture of reconciliation.

The panel event will open with words from Vanessa Andreotti, co-author of “Towards Braiding – Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures.” Then, each panelist will have 5-10 minutes to introduce themselves and give a short presentation on why their experiences are relevant to this topic. This will be followed by a question section, where the moderator/audience asks questions, the panelists answer, and the moderator helps guide the discussion. There will be a breakout session afterwards, where people will be able to speak to the panelists face-to-face in smaller groups. The event will close with a final speech from Andreotti.

There will be food provided at the event (most likely from Big Heart Bannock), with vegetarian options available.