2009-2010 Annual Report Year of the Métis: A Time for Opportunity and Reflection Buffalo Narrows Nipawin La Loche Timber Bay Saskatoon Meadow Lake Cumberland House Duck Lake Jans Bay Prince Albert Willow Bunch Lloydminster La Ronge North Battleford Îl-à-la Crosse Regina Beauval Fort Qu’Appelle Estevan Pinehouse Lake Moose Jaw St. Louis Sandy Bay www.gdins.org Weyakwin Green Lake Batoche Yorkton Gabriel Dumont Institute 917 22nd Street West Saskatoon, SK S7M 0R9 Phone: (306) 242-6070 Fax: (306) 242-0002 Toll Free: 1-877-488-6888 www.gdins.org “Long before we were a province, there were Métis here.” ~Premier Brad Wall Table of Contents P. 2 Year of the Métis: A Time for Opportunity and Reflection P. 4 Message from the Chair P. 5 Message from the Executive Director P. 8 Governance P. 9 Governors P. 14 SUNTEP P. 15 Gabriel Dumont College P. 16 Graduate Studies P. 18 GDI Act P. 21 Dumont Technical Institute P. 24 Gabriel Dumont Institute Training and Employment P. 28 Publishing P. 32 Library P. 36 Scholarships and Awards P. 38 Graduates and Scholarship Recipients P. 41 Presentation of Financial Reports P. 42 Financial Highlights Images courtesy: Saskatchewan Archives Board, R-A8211 2 (front cover), S-B9772 (page 8), R-E4494 (front cover), Lawrence Arnault (pages 2, 40), Eagle Feather News (page 31), and GDI Archives (pages 7, 12, 18). Year of the Métis: A Time for Opportunity and Reflection The Year of the Métis in Saskatchewan In November 2009, the Métis National was announced in the Throne Speech Council (MNC) General Assembly on October 21, 2009 as an opportunity proclaimed 2010 the Year of the Métis to acknowledge Métis history, Nation. President Chartier stated, celebrate our accomplishments, and “2010 will mark the 125th anniversary commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Northwest Resistance and the of the 1885 Northwest Resistance. execution of Louis Riel. The Year of On November 4, 2009, Premier Brad the Métis Nation will be an opportunity Wall, accompanied by Métis Nation— for all Métis Nation citizens, and all Saskatchewan President Robert Canadians, to commemorate and Doucette and First Nations and Métis celebrate this important milestone.” Relations Minister Bill Hutchinson, officially proclaimed 2010 as the Year On December 10, 2009, the Federal of the Métis. Government unanimously adopted a motion to use 2010 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the historic events of 1885 in Saskatchewan and to recognize the contributions of the Métis Nation to all aspects of Canadian society. “Never before has there been recognition like this given to the Métis citizens of Saskatchewan. I am deeply honoured and proud to be a part of today’s celebration, as it marks another chapter in the future of this great province.” ~Métis Nation—Saskatchewan President Robert Doucette 2 “The Métis Nation, as a distinct Aboriginal people, fundamentally shaped Canada’s expansion westward through on-going declaration of our collective identity and rights. From the Red River Resistance to the Battle of Batoche to other notable collective actions Photo credit: The Government of undertaken throughout the Métis Nation Homeland, the history and identity of Métis Saskatchewan citizens will forever be a part of Canada’s existence.” ~Métis Nation—Saskatchewan 3 Message from the Chair As Chair of the Gabriel Dumont Institute permanent legal status which, in the long (GDI), it is an honour to present the run, will result in firmer footing in terms of Institute’s Annual Report for 2009-2010. recognition, credibility, and resourcing. I am especially proud to offer this report in the year ending 2010, the “Year of the The Institute continued its priorities in trades, Métis.” The declaration of 2010 as the health, and business training through the “Year of the Métis in Saskatchewan,” in Dumont Technical Institute and in university conjunction with the 125th anniversary of education through the Saskatchewan Urban the Northwest Resistance at Batoche, has Native Teacher Education Program and been so gratifying. During the year that Gabriel Dumont College. The integrated this report represents, GDI has seen not system offered by GDI includes career only growth, stability, and opportunity, counseling and planning, training and but the Institute has also used this year education, and job transition supports. as a time of reflection. We have reflected GDI continues to build and improve its on our foundations as Métis people in comprehensive repertoire of services. this province and on our ancestors who fought for the Métis cause. Such reflection On behalf of the GDI Board of Governors, I leads to a renewed sense of purpose and am pleased to present the Institute’s Annual courage of conviction for those working Report ending March 31, 2010. on behalf of Métis education. Maarsii, During the period covered by this Karen LaRocque report, GDI has launched a number Chair of new initiatives and continued to GDI Board of Governors follow through on existing priorities. On direction from our Métis members, we continued our important work on a GDI Act. Such legislation will give GDI 4 Message from the Executive Director The declaration of 2010 as the “Year of In 2009, GDI embraced the opportunity the Métis” was a point of pride for Métis to participate in the Aboriginal Skills people in this province. It provided us with and Training Strategic Investment Fund a unique opportunity to look back as well (ASTSIF) process because of its relevance as forward, and I am pleased to report that and connection to the anticipated successor the 2009-2010 year has truly been one strategy to the Aboriginal Human Resource of opportunity and reflection for Gabriel Development Strategy. The Institute received Dumont Institute (GDI). ASTSIF contracts for more than $5,000,000 to provide job planning assistance and Métis culture continues to be a cornerstone training to about 500 individuals. These of GDI’s mission. Through our culture, contracts complemented the Institute’s we distinguish ourselves as a people and already impressive offerings. as the agent that can deliver distinctive programs and services to our community. The “Year of the Métis” has provided the We recognize that GDI occupies a unique Métis and the rest of the province’s citizens position in the province to promote Métis with an opportunity to reflect on the past culture, retain Métis languages, history 125 years of Métis history in Saskatchewan and stories, and to deliver this legacy to and to consider the road forward from here. generations of Métis people. During 2009- I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge 2010, GDI continued its very important role our forebears, who fought for Métis rights, of amassing and disseminating the cultural and GDI’s founders who had the foresight to legacy of the province’s Métis people. The envision the Institute’s long-term potential. I awards and recognition that the Institute also thank GDI’s Board of Governors, and the receives for our cultural resources and Institute’s staff, students, and stakeholders. promotion are one measure of our success All have or continue to break trail for the in this realm. Métis, and for that, I am grateful. Meegwetch, Geordy McCaffrey Executive Director Photo credit: Edwards School of Business 5 “The Métis nation needs people educated to take on the responsibilities of nationhood: informed citizens, professionals, politicians, bureaucrats and business people. … As the only Métis-controlled post secondary educational institution in Canada, the Gabriel Dumont Institute must be involved in the nation building process.” ~Towards Self-Government: a Mandate for the Nineties 6 From Humble Beginnings … In 1976, a group of Métis and Non-Status Indian From its humble beginnings, the Institute has citizens were concerned about the inequitable steadily grown to become the continent’s education and employment levels of Métis and most notable Métis educational and cultural Non-Status Indian people in Saskatchewan. institution. The composition of basic education, They expressed a desire to own an institution of technical training, university, publishing, and their own that would provide future generations human resource development programming with access to quality education in a Métis has made GDI a dynamic and unique institution. (and a Non-Status Indian) cultural context. Based on these early discussions, the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research Inc. (GDI) was formally established in 1980 with funding from the Government of Saskatchewan. After the political split between the Métis and Non-Status Indians occurred in 1988, the Institute would be an exclusively Métis educational and cultural institution. GDI’s mission: To promote the renewal and development of Métis culture through research, materials development, collection and distribution of those materials and the design, development and delivery of Métis-specific educational programs and services. 7 Governance GDI operates with a twelve-member Board of ∞ representing GDI to all levels of Governors plus a Chairperson who is the Métis government, to persons of Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (MN—S) Minister ancestry, and to the public of Education. The GDI Board of Governors generally; and are selected from each of the twelve MN—S ∞ appointing a Chief Executive Officer Regions. All Board members go through a to be directly responsible for the three-step process for appointment: Regional implementation of policy and GDI’s Council nomination, Provincial Métis Council day-to-day management ratification, and approval by the Minister and operations. of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration. All GDI Governors are Métis people who possess knowledge of the cultural, historical, The Board of Governors oversees the Institute’s and social circumstances of Saskatchewan’s direction and is responsible for its operation Métis. The collective skills of the Board of and governance, including: Directors represent a number of different ∞ adopting policies for GDI’s effective disciplines and perspectives.