Honouring Indigenous self-determination by applying parallel paths – Policy Options

November 26, 2025

Embedding ethical space in university governance can help Indigenous and Western systems work side by side, strengthening autonomy and shared decision-making.

Co-authored with the ii’ taa’poh’to’p Circle of Elders

Despite the remarkable achievements of Canada’s higher education institutions, there remains an endemic and unresolved issue present on virtually every campus: systemic ignorance of Indigenous knowledge systems.

One bright light on a path forward is the notion of parallel paths which comes from a concept brought forward by the knowledge keepers who contributed to the University of Calgary’s Indigenous Engagement Strategy ii’ taa’poh’to’p in 2017.

Read More: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/11/indigenous-parallel-paths/