SDG Week: Indigenous Perspectives on the SDGs

While the SDGs are generally perceived as positive, in the Canadian context and at UBC, recognizing histories of displacement and colonization are necessary to consider when moving forward to apply these global goals to local communities. We hope this panel will help start conversations around these issues, of which INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES GLOBALLY SHOULD BE INCORPORATED AND CONSIDERED IMPORTANT. Through this panel we hope to inspire action oriented towards more equitable implementation of the SDGs facilitated by INDIGENOUS VOICES. This panel will highlight the voices of Peter Cole from the Faculty of Education and Patricia Barkaskas from Allard A. School of Law. FEATURED PANELIST Peter Cole is a member of the Douglas First Nation, one of the Stl’atl’imx communities in SW British Columbia, and also has Celtic heritage. He has taught at universities in Canada, the United States and Aotearoa-New Zealand, most recently as Associate Professor in Aboriginal and Northern Studies at the University College of the North where he was Chair of the Research Ethics Board. Peter has played key roles in the development of the Aboriginal & Northern Studies degree program at UCN; the Developmental Standard Teaching Certificate with four Vancouver Island First Nations communities to certify language teachers to teach their Indigenous languages in schools. Beginning in January, 2001, Peter has been instrumental in initiating a dialogue with the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada to be more inclusive and respectful of Aboriginal research protocols, epistemologies and methodologies. Peter has also been published in many national and international literary and academic journals and books.