Laurier students experience realities of Indigenous treaty negotiation as part of Gordon Foundation simulation exercise

March 9, 2023

A group of 22 Geography and Environmental Studies students at Wilfrid Laurier University recently gained first-hand experience in treaty negotiation as part of the fourth-year course Northern Resources and Environments.

The students took part in a Treaty Simulation exercise run by The Gordon Foundation – a charitable organization whose initiatives include Understanding Our Treaties – during 10 sessions held from September to December 2022. Guided by experienced advisors, students were placed into teams and took on the roles of treaty negotiators, presenting their positions and working to reach an agreement.

The simulation provided a hands-on learning experience, with students gaining an understanding of the treaty process in Canada and experiencing the realities of negotiation.

“The simulation exercise made students more aware of how complicated the treaty process is,” says Assistant Professor Andrew Spring, who teaches Northern Resources and Environments. “It provided a really interesting and effective way to understand the complexities of decision-making in northern environments.”

Treaties are legally binding agreements made between the Crown and Indigenous nations, governments or organizations that define ongoing rights and obligations on all sides. The simulation students participated in focused on the co-management of wildlife under the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement. They were tasked with developing a wildlife management plan for a fictional herd of barren-ground caribou that had been added to the Northwest Territories species at risk due to a declining population.

As part of the simulation, participants divided into teams, each representing a party on the fictional Dahkàà Caribou Advisory Committee, including the Government of Northwest Territories Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Tłı̨chǫ Government Lands Protection; and the Wek'èezhı̀ı Renewable Resources Board.

Kirin Lorente, who recently graduated from Laurier with a double degree in Geography and Mathematics, participated in the simulation. Lorente says it was an eye-opening experience that required research, collaboration and compromise.

“I definitely got a good idea of what negotiating a treaty would be like,” says Lorente. “You do have to make compromises and you do have to acknowledge that your point of view isn’t necessarily what’s needed to reach your goal at the end of the day.”

Students benefited from advisors who took part including Frank Dragon, First Nations treaty consultant and former Northwest Territories deputy minister of environment and natural resources; John B. Zoe, a senior advisor to the Tłı̨chǫ Government; Karin Clark, a wildlife biologist with the Government of the Northwest Territories; and Jessica Gordon, an Indigenous governance and treaty expert.

“The most amazing part about the simulation was having Elders join our meetings,” says Lorente. “Getting to talk to the Elders of the community was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The Gordon Foundation has run 20 Treaty Simulations in collaboration with communities, organizations, schools, governments and treaty experts since 2019, with the majority of participants being emerging leaders from northern Indigenous communities.

Michelle Malandra, Spring’s former master’s student, works as a program manager with The Gordon Foundation and served as a partner on the Treaty Simulation undertaken by Laurier students.

“Negotiating treaties takes years, not a matter of days or hours, so we are giving participants just a slice of the process,” says Malandra. “Our purpose in the exercise and experimenting the simulation with different groups is to stress the importance of understanding treaties for all Canadians. They are significant in our history, but also in the future of Canada.”

Malandra notes that a greater understanding of treaties and their importance can lead to a better future for all Canadians.

“Understanding treaties is a part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action,” says Malandra. “And the modern treaties we talk about also play a role in implementing UNDRIP, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

Prior to the Treaty Simulation exercise, Spring presented a series of lectures to students focusing on the history of treaties, the history of Canada’s North, and the history of northern Indigenous peoples.

“I wanted students to understand how decisions are made in the North,” says Spring. “We talked about the history of the treatment of Indigenous People in Canada. I wanted them to understand that there were a lot of bad and questionable decisions made in the North and now it’s really shifted to being more Indigenous-led decision-making.”

In the end, students successfully negotiated a wildlife management plan that all parties agreed on. Spring says the simulation experience will serve participants well as they move forward in their studies and careers.

“These students are going to be in the field as experts at these tables in the near future, so it’s really good to have them understand what goes into making these decisions,” says Spring. “One of the biggest takeaways for students was the complexity of decision-making. Students often think it’s straightforward. Now they understand it’s not quite as easy – it’s about listening to all viewpoints and opinions and trying to come up with an agreement. And that takes a lot of work.”