NU welcomes Governor General of Canada

Nipissing University is pleased to welcome His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada to campus for a panel discussion on Aboriginal education and reconciliation.

Titled, The KaNaTa Conversations 2016: Aboriginal Education and the Way Forward, the discussion takes place Thursday, March 31, at 11 a.m. in the Nipissing University Theatre (F213).  It will be streamed live atThe KaNaTa Conversations 2016.

The panel discussion will feature Clint Davis, vice-president of Aboriginal Banking for TD Business Banking; Dr. Katrina Srigley, associate professor of History at Nipissing University; and Autumn Varley, master of history student at Nipissing University. Tanya Lukin-Linklater, Nipissing’s director of Aboriginal Initiatives will serve as moderator.  A question and answer period will follow the discussion. The university will accept questions from the audience, as well as via Twitter; to ask your question via Twitter, please tweet the question using the hashtag #kanata2016.

The Governor General will provide remarks at the conclusion of the event.

The Governor General will also present the Caring Canadian Award to Dr. Glen Sharpe, associate professor in Nipissing’s Schulich School of Education, receive a laboratory tour of Nipissing’s leading edge Centre for Physical and Health Education, and meet Nipissing’s Academic All-Canadian student-athletes.

“It is an honour to welcome the Governor General to Nipissing University for this discussion about Aboriginal education,” said Dr. Mike DeGagné, president and vice-chancellor. “We have a terrific panel that will spark a rich and engaging conversation about a topic that is of special interest to Nipissing and vitally important for all Canadians. It will be an exciting day for the university, our faculty, staff and students and I’m certain the Governor General will enjoy the discussion.”

This is the second time Nipissing University has hosted a KaNaTa conversation. The first was held in 2013.  

About The KaNaTa Conversations:
The KaNaTa Conversations recall the original relationships (as between Jacques Cartier and the Iroquois and Huron who explained that this land was 'KaNaTa' or the village) and explore the pressing need to correct misunderstandings and injustices as a key element of advancing reconciliation, respect and constructing the Canadian identity of the future.

The KaNaTa Conversations seek to:
honour the past and respective rights and responsibilities fully and meaningfully;
commit to reconciliation in the present; and,
envision a future that achieves justice, mutuality and fairness and fulfills uniquely Canadian potential in the world.

My NipissingIndigenous Initiatives