UOttawa’s free tuition for Algonquin students a big step towards reconciliation: advocates

Tareyn Johnson, the director of Indigenous affairs for the University of Ottawa, is seen next to a planter that was wrapped with designs by artist Terry Dactel. The University of Ottawa announced last week that it will waive tuition fees for Algonquin undergraduate and graduate students. Photo by Jean Levac /PostmediaArticle content

Indigenous advocates are praising the University of Ottawa for providing free tuition to Algonquin Anishinàbeg Nation students, saying it is a big step towards reconciliation.

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The university announced the move Friday as part of its Indigenous Action Plan. The plan, which was first approved in 2020 and recently updated, is a framework guiding the university’s decolonization efforts and engagement with the broader Indigenous community.

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The tuition fee waiver will start in fall 2025, the university added.

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“It was something we discussed for quite a long time beforehand. … We really wanted to pay respect to the Algonquin nation, because the university operates on Algonquin territory,” said Tareyn Johnson, who is Anishinaabe and director of Indigenous affairs at uOttawa.

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“When universities across the country started doing it, it piqued our interest, and we had to go through logistics and stuff like that. I would say (the process) took about a year.”

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Kassidy Klinger, the students’ union’s Indigenous students’ representative, celebrated the move in an emailed statement to the Ottawa Citizen.

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“The Algonquin students at uOttawa have been expressing excitement and relief after the news of this tuition waiver came out! This will help alleviate some of the financial burden that students face, and we are hoping that more Algonquin youth will be motivated to come study at uOttawa and pursue post-secondary education,” Klinger said.

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Tareyn Johnson is the director of Indigenous affairs for the University of Ottawa. She is seen next to a planter that was wrapped with designs by artist Terry Dactel. The University of Ottawa announced last week that they will waive tuition fees for Algonquin undergraduate and graduate students. Photo by Jean Levac /PostmediaArticle content

Lynn Gehl, an Algonquin scholar and advocate, said the move will open a lot of doors for Algonquin people.

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She said tuition fees were a huge barrier for her when she was in her teens and early 20s. She saved for more than a decade and finally pursued a post-secondary education when she was 30 years old.

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Now, Gehl has a PhD in Indigenous studies, a master’s degree in Canadian studies and Indigenous studies, and an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology. In total, the 13 years of post-secondary cost her more than $500,000 after factoring in textbooks and living costs.

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“I don’t think (Indigenous and Northern Affairs) is covering everybody’s tuition anymore, it’s a competition. Everyone assumes that, if you’re status registered with Indian Affairs, that your education is covered, and that’s not necessarily true,” she said.