At this year's AMS elections Indigenous forum, candidates spoke about improving consultation and the role the proposed AMS VP student life could have on Indigenous students at UBC.
Candidates from nearly all election races made appearances at the March 5 forum, but out of 30 candidates, only 12 attended. Not all candidates participated in the conversation or answered every question.
Candidates agreed increasing consultation with Indigenous communities on elected student representative goals is a step they need to take while advocating for Indigenous student collaboration.
Board of governors candidate and first-year law student Cade Desjarlais said he “recognize[s] how difficult it can be to advocate in such a colonial institution” as a Métis student, and he called on a “whole system restructuring” to ensure students in leadership positions can receive training and education from the AMS on “Indigenous issues and Indigenous consultation.”
“Consultation is only as good as the people that are consulting,” said Desjarlais.
Incumbent Senate candidate and 2023/24 UBC Board of governors representative Kareem Hassib said UBC’s Board often sees consultation with Musqueam and other Indigenous groups as “a barrier or a hurdle to get over … one more check box that needs to be checked off,” when it comes to land use decisions and planning. Hassib said including Indigenous stakeholders earlier in land use decisions and processes is important to ensure these voices are heard.
Incumbent Senate candidate and VP external candidate Solomon Yi-Kieran echoed Hassib on proactive consultation with Musqueam, and said that since the AMS experiences mass turnover every year, building a good relationship with Musqueam can ensure “good consultation year after year.”
Many candidates also mentioned an interest in advocating for changes to the Universities Act to change the UBC Vancouver Senate and Board of Governors makeup to allow for designated Musqueam seats.
Senate and incumbent VP academic and university affairs candidate Zarifa Nawar said $5–6 million of financial aid in endowments goes unspent. Nawar said she would prioritize “working with donors and going to court” to change award criteria so funds can be allocated to Indigenous students.
VP administration candidate Dylan Evans said emphasizing an “open-door,” “circular” exchange during consultation is critical to allow concerns to be addressed.
The moderator asked candidates how the newly-proposed AMS VP student life position could support Indigenous communities and ensure Indigenous cultural practices are represented and celebrated on campus.
The position’s creation is subject to the passing of a referendum item, which would establish a dedicated VP focused on the mental health and wellbeing of students, events programming and extended support for clubs and constituencies.
BoG and Senate candidate Mohkam Singh Malik (ਮੋਹਕਮ) said the VP student life should “empowe[r] Indigenous students and also Musqueam to share their stories and their histories of the land.”
“A land acknowledgement is one thing, but I feel like it's very empty if you don't know the stories behind that,” said Malik. “I would encourage all AMS execs and all AMS permanent staff to reach out to Musqueam … because it's one thing to just sort of say, ‘Oh, we're going to empower Indigenous students…’ and it's another thing entirely to actually listen to Indigenous peoples.”
Presidential candidates Riley Huntley and Drédyn Fontana both said the new position could assist the Indigenous Student Society with event planning. Huntley specifically said the position could help the Indigenous Student Society secure physical campus spaces and provide sponsorship funding.
When it comes to addressing the systemic barriers Indigenous students face at UBC, candidates largely agreed on increasing student access to resources on campus, but Desjarlais said UBC needs to focus as many resources as it puts into international student recruitment into Indigenous student recruitment.
“Start equipping Indigenous students right now at UBC with paid positions to go out and show Indigenous students that … there is a path forward from your secondary education to your university degree,” said Desjarlais.
This article is part of our 2025 AMS Elections coverage. Follow us at @UbysseyNews on X (formerly Twitter) and follow our election coverage starting March 3.
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