On 21 June, National Indigenous Peoples Day, communities across Canada hold events that celebrate Indigenous cultures and achievements. The year 2026 represents the 30th National Indigenous Peoples Day. To highlight this special occasion, this HillNote focuses on examples of Indigenous leadership in post-secondary education, as well as some current issues. Indigenous Peoples are taking charge of their future education by developing new institutions adapted to their needs.
Overview of Post-Secondary Education
Education is a social determinant of health, directly linked to community and individual well-being. Indigenous Peoples have their own educational approaches grounded in their cultures and languages that generally view learning as lifelong, holistic and experiential.
The creation of residential schools disrupted Indigenous forms of education. These schools aimed to assimilate Indigenous Peoples and sever their connections to their families, languages, cultures and identities. Residential schools generally provided poor-quality education that left many students unprepared for post-secondary studies. Many others left residential schools with a profound distrust of education that led them to avoid post-secondary education altogether or to pursue it years later.
Legislative barriers also restricted First Nations access to post-secondary education. From 1876 to 1951, First Nations individuals who obtained a university degree automatically lost their status under the Indian Act, which meant also losing the right to live in their communities.
Today, Indigenous Services Canada provides funding to Indigenous governments and organizations that then distribute it to selected eligible status First Nations, Inuit and Métis students pursuing post-secondary education. The department also provides funding for First Nations post-secondary institutions.
Indigenous Leadership in Post-Secondary Education
While the Indian Act contains provisions related to primary and secondary education on reserve, it contains none on post-secondary education. Article 14(1) of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that Indigenous Peoples have the right to control and establish culturally-appropriate institutions and education systems. Some treaties between First Nations and Canada signed before 1975 contain provisions related to education, though the wording varies by treaty. Accordingly, a number of First Nations assert a treaty right to education, including decision-making authority over matters related to First Nations education at all levels, including the post-secondary level.
Beginning in the 1970s, Indigenous Peoples developed post-secondary institutions to provide culturally relevant, holistic education tailored to the needs of Indigenous students and communities. Indigenous post-secondary institutions (IPSIs) are those that are governed, managed or controlled by Indigenous Peoples. Research suggests there are at least 50 IPSIs across Canada. Although there are few IPSIs in the territories, the first Inuit-led university in the Arctic is currently in the planning stage. Some IPSIs are small, with a single campus in an Indigenous community, whereas others are larger and have multiple campuses in different locations.
The map in Figure 1 shows some of the IPSIs in Canada that offer post-secondary degrees, diplomas or certificates. It does not include Indigenous institutions that solely provide adult education.
Figure 1 – Map of Indigenous-Controlled Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada
Sources: Interactive map prepared by Philippe Renaud, Library of Parliament, using data obtained from Signal49 Research, Filling in the Map of Indigenous Controlled Post-Secondary Education in Canada, 6 July 2023; Natural Resources Canada, “Aboriginal Lands of Canada Legislative Boundaries,” Web Feature Service (WFS); Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), “Historic treaties,” WFS; CIRNAC, “Modern treaties,” WFS; CIRNAC, “Indigenous agreements,” WFS; Government of Alberta, “Metis Settlement”, WFS; and Esri, “Provinces and Territories of Canada,” WFS. The map was created using Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform. Esri basemaps are the intellectual property of Esri and are used under licence, © 2026 Esri and its licensors. Includes information licensed under the Government of Canada Open Government Licence – Canada and the Government of Alberta Open Government Licence – Alberta.
IPSIs offer education in various subjects. IPSIs are often located in the communities they serve, and some have partnered with non-Indigenous post-secondary institutions to increase program offerings and/or for accreditation purposes. For example:
- In 1971, the Blue Quills Native Education Council assumed operations of the former Blue Quills residential school after parents of residential school students occupied the school building. Today, University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills remains in the former residential school building on reserve in St. Paul, Alberta, and offers programs that incorporate Indigenous knowledge into areas like early childhood education, science, social work and Indigenous languages.
- First Nations University of Canada was founded in 1976 in Regina, Saskatchewan, to provide culturally relevant post-secondary education. Today, it is an Indigenous-controlled college of the University of Regina that offers post-secondary programs in fields like education, fine arts and health at four campuses in Saskatchewan, one of which is a land-based learning centre.
- The Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research was founded in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1976 following a conference of Métis and non-status First Nations at which the participants sought ways to help promote and enhance their cultures. The Institute currently offers university programs in education that incorporate Métis culture. Some programs are offered in partnership with the University of Regina and some with the University of Saskatchewan.
- In 1983, the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) was founded by five First Nations in the Nicola Valley of British Columbia to provide culturally relevant education to Indigenous students. Provincial legislation designated NVIT as a provincial institute in 1995, authorizing it to confer associate degrees, diplomas and certificates. NVIT has campuses in Merritt and Vancouver, and it provides educational opportunities in Indigenous communities across Canada. NVIT offers programs that develop the skills students need to work in their communities in fields like economic development.
- Inuit leaders recognized that Inuit youth required training to negotiate and implement the Nunavut land claims agreement. As a result, Nunavut Sivuniksavut was established in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1985. It offers two certificate programs in Inuit studies that integrate Inuit knowledge and the programs are accredited by Algonquin College. Nunavut Sivuniksavut’s programming prepares students to pursue other post-secondary education. The institution also supports Inuit students transitioning to education in southern cities, including residence advisors and counsellors.
- The Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning was established in the Northwest Territories in 2009 in response to a research project that outlined the barriers to northern Indigenous communities’ access to post-secondary education. The Centre provides land-based post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories and in Yukon that focuses on topics like Dene Laws, story-telling and Indigenous self-determination. Students can take accredited courses toward a post-secondary degree or complete a certificate program in land-based research offered in partnership with the University of British Columbia.
- Kiuna College was established in 2011 in the Abenaki on-reserve community of Odanak, Quebec, by the First Nations Education Council in response to calls from First Nations across Quebec for greater access to post-secondary education. Kiuna College offers diplomas of college studies and continuing education grounded in First Nations culture that are recognized by Quebec’s ministry of education.
Indigenous Programs and Initiatives in Post-Secondary Institutions
Beginning in the 1960s, Canadian universities created Indigenous-focused programs in response to calls from Indigenous Peoples for culturally relevant programming. In some cases, Indigenous Peoples have been directly involved in designing Indigenous studies programs. For example, in the 1980s, Indigenous and non-Indigenous faculty members established Native studies courses at what is now Cape Breton University. Over time, this initiative evolved to become degree programs in Mi’kmaq studies developed in partnership with Mi’kmaw communities and students. Today, Unama’ki College, remains part of Cape Breton University and offers courses in Mi’kmaq language, cultures, history and governance, including in Mi’kmaw communities.
In recent years, some Indigenous Peoples have become more involved in university governance. For example, Yukon University’s board of governors, which comprises 17 voting members, includes three members nominated by Yukon First Nations, according to the Yukon University Act. Since 2021, the University of Manitoba’s governing body, known as the Senate, includes five designated seats for Indigenous individuals.
Today, many non-Indigenous institutions have developed reconciliation action plans or initiatives in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.
Current Issues in Post-Secondary Education
Research indicates that Indigenous institutions play an essential role in improving access to post-secondary education for Indigenous students and preparing them to work in their communities. However, a review of First Nations post-secondary education suggests that the lack of stable funding and pathways for accreditation and recognition limit the growth of First Nations post-secondary institutions. In some provinces, like Ontario and British Columbia, Indigenous post-secondary institutions are formally recognized in legislation that also establishes provincial funding commitments.
Indigenous students continue to face barriers to completing post-secondary education, such as the lack of post-secondary educational opportunities in Indigenous communities, limited student funding, the legacy of intergenerational trauma and racism, and discrimination in non-Indigenous post-secondary institutions. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls found that travelling away from home communities to pursue education also increases the risk of violence for Indigenous women and girls, and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual people.
Data on educational attainment of Indigenous Peoples is consistent with the presence of these barriers. Between 2016 and 2021, the share of Indigenous Peoples who held a bachelor’s degree or higher increased for self-identified First Nation individuals (+1.6%), Métis (+2.5%) and Inuit (+0.9%); nonetheless, Indigenous students tend to have lower post-secondary attainment rates (49.2%) than non-Indigenous students (68%). Attainment rates were also impacted by remoteness. Indigenous Peoples living in an area where post-secondary education is easily accessible had a 54.7% attainment rate, compared to 70% for non-Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples living in very remote areas had a 27% attainment rate, compared to 54% for non-Indigenous Peoples. Figure 2 presents detailed Statistics Canada data on the post-secondary education of individuals who self-identify as Indigenous relative to the non-Indigenous population, by highest level of education attained, gender and Indigenous identity.
Figure 2 – Indigenous Identity, Education and Employment Rate, 2021
Note: As part of the census, individuals self-identify as Indigenous and not all First Nations participate, which could affect data quality. “Men+” includes men and some non-binary persons. “Women+” includes women and some non-binary persons.
Source: Figure prepared by Emmanuel Preville, Library of Parliament, using data obtained from Statistics Canada, “Table 98‑10‑0424‑01: Highest level of education by Indigenous identity and labour force status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts,” Database, accessed 1 June 2026.
Through the development of IPSIs and involvement in the governance of non-Indigenous institutions, Indigenous Peoples are taking steps to provide culturally appropriate education, based on Indigenous perspectives and languages, both in the classroom and on the land.
Further Reading
Stonechild, Blair. The New Buffalo: The Struggle for Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education in Canada. University of Manitoba Press, Winnipeg, 2006.
Task Force on Northern Post-Secondary Education. A Shared Responsibility: Northern Voices, Northern Solutions – Report of the Task Force on Northern Post-Secondary Education, 2022.
By Brittany Collier and Antoine Csuzdi-Vallée, Library of Parliament
Categories: Education, language and training, Indigenous affairs, Social affairs and population