16-20 November 2011 – 21st Biennial Conference, Association for Canadian Studies in the United States
Ottawa, Canada
U.W. faculty and graduate students participate in each biennial conference of the national Canadian Studies association. This year N. Fabbi, Canadian Studies Center and Joël Plouffe, l’Université Québec, co-chaired “The North” section bringing together over 20 scholars who presented research on Canada’s role in the Arctic. Panels also included U.W. undergraduates who participated in the 2011 Task Force on Arctic Sovereignty, Victoria Choe and Dominic Maltais; faculty and a graduate student from the U.W. School of Social Work, M. McEachern, S. de Mello, and Q. Redeagle-Smith; and Center FLAS alumnus, T. Pasch, now an Assistant Professor, Communication Program, University of North Dakota. Presentations included Canada & the American Curriculum panel, discussant, N. Fabbi; “Québec & Nunavik, a Model for Arctic Governance,” D. Maltais; and, “Delimitation of the Lomonosov Ridge,” V. Choe; “A Comparative History of Sex Education & Teen Pregnancy in Canada & the U.S.,” M. McEachern, Social Work; and “Accommodating Difference & Diversity in a Globalized Economy: Is Canadian Multiculturalism Policy Still Relevant to Socially, Just Social Work Practice?,” M. McEachern, Social Work; S. de Mello, Social Work; Q. Redeagle-Smith, Social Work.
Co-Sponsors: Association for Canadian Studies in the United States; U.W. School of Social Work; McGill University
5-7 January 2012 – Annual Symposium on Environmental, Occupational & Population Health – Changing Environments & Population Health in the United States & Canada
Semiahmoo Resort,
Blaine, Washington
This annual joint meeting of the University of Washington, University of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University provides the opportunity for cross border colleagues to discuss current health and safety, research, and practice issues. The conference promotes conversations between researchers and students from both sides of the border building long-term collaborative research relationships. Each panel included representatives from Canada and the United States and focused on occupational health, agricultural health, and urban health issues. This year’s symposium was supported, in part, by a Government of Canada grant awarded to Mark Oberle, U.W. School of Public Health.
Co-Sponsors: U.W. School of Public Health; Government of Canada; University of British Columbia; Simon Fraser University
2-3 February 2012 – Pacific Northwest Canadian Studies Consortium 25th Anniversary General Meeting & Mini-Conference
University of Washington, Seattle
The 25th annual general meeting of the PNWCSC brought together dozens of researchers from the Pacific Northwest and special guests including Gary Geddes, Canadian writer, Rob Wells, documentary filmmaker from Pacific Lutheran University, and U.W. Canada-U.S. Fulbright Chair, Claudio Aporta. Three research sections – Health, Arctic and International History –included presentations by U.W. faculty and graduate students. U.W. speakers included M. McEachern, Social Work; J. Woelfer, Information School; M. Oberle, Public Health; N. Fabbi, Canadian Studies Center; J. Gilmore, Social Work. The conference served to highlight the innovative research of Canadianists across the region and to build a community of scholars.
Co-Sponsor: U.W. School of Social Work
27 April 2012 – 11th Annual Symposium of Native & Indigenous Scholarship at the University of Washington – “The Waters that Connect Us”
University of Washington, Seattle
Access to clean water is a basic human right. For Indigenous peoples around the world, water is not only used for sustenance and hygiene, it occupies a special place in prayers, trades, communication and knowledge. Water defines territories and contains and nourishes traditional foods. It is the source of livelihoods and pilgrimages, from Oceania to the Great Lakes. This year’s symposium addressed the issue of water for indigenous communities throughout North America. U.W. faculty, graduate students, and community members participated in the symposium.
Co-Sponsors: U.W. Native Organization of Indigenous Scholars; Native Voices Documentary Film Program; U.W. Graduate Opportunities Minority Affairs Program (GO-MAP); U.W. American Indian Studies
27-29 April 2012 – The 9th Annual Western Regional International Health Conference: At a Crossroads – “Choosing Hidden Paths in Global Health”
University of Washington, Seattle
The 9th Annual Western Regional International Health Conference identified marginalized topics in global health. The conference, co-sponsored by more than two dozen universities and colleges along the West Coast and Canada, was organized around six tracks – global mental health, marginalized populations, organizing and funding of global health, clinical issues in global health, communications and technology in global health, and the environment and global health. Timothy Brewer, Director of Global Health Programs, McGill University, provided a Canadian perspective on global health.
Co-Sponsors: Canadian Federation for Medical Students; Center for Global Studies, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies; McGill University; University of British Columbia Global Health Initiative; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia; Washington Global Health Alliance
11 May 2012 – Canada and the U.S. in the Arctic: Past Successes, Future Challenges
University of Washington, Seattle
This one-day forum brought together key stakeholders to address future challenges to Canada and the United States regarding governance and stewardship over the Arctic. Mead Treadwell, Lieutenant Governor, Alaska moderated the panel, “Today’s Arctic” featuring Tony Penikett, Senior Advisor, Arctic Security Program, Munk Centre of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. Environment Canada regional director, Paul Kluckner moderated a panel on environmental protection of the Arctic region. Northern communities and economic development were addressed on a panel that included Alaska and Yukon representatives. Transport Canada Marine Safety representative, Ross MacDonald, moderated a panel on maritime issues. Barry Pottle, Inuk photography, provided a lunch hour keynote lecture. Edward Itta, former Mayor of the North Slope Borough, Alaska and U.W.’s Canada-U.S. Fulbright Chair, Claudio Aporta provided the concluding remarks.
Co-Sponsors: Consulate General of Canada, Seattle; Consulate of Canada, Anchorage; United States Coast Guard, District 13; United States Consul General, Vancouver; Institute of the North, Anchorage; Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Ottawa
Public Lectures / Roundtable Discussions
20 October 2011 – Indigenous Peoples & the Idea of Reconciliation, by Dale Turner, Dartmouth College
University of Washington, Seattle
State apologies and visions of reconciliation have become a central issue in contemporary Indigenous politics in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. In this presentation, Dale Turner, Government, Dartmouth College, discussed the evolving idea of Indigenous reconciliation in the context of the recently ratified United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Turner is Anishinabe and a citizen of the Temagami First Nation on Lake Temagami, Ontario. He is the author of This is Not a Peace Pipe: Towards a Critical Indigenous Philosophy (2006).
Co-Sponsor: U.W. Native Organization of Indigenous Scholars
2 February 2012 – From Horizon to Region: Trails and Their Role in the Construction of Pan-Arctic Inuit Identities, by Claudio Aporta, 2011-12 Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Chair
University of Washington, Seattle
The Inuit experience of the Arctic is deeply rooted in a sense of homeland, ethnic identity and the struggle to generate sustainable livelihoods. Dr. Aporta’s lecture explored this connection to the Arctic environment through an analysis of how Inuit, using traditional knowledge, have navigated trails from the Bering Strait, to Canada, to Greenland, developing a sense of pan-Arctic identity.
Co-Sponsors: U.W. Office of Global Affairs; U.W. Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences; U.W. Graduate Fund for Excellence and Innovation; U.W. Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
1 March 2012 – The Northwest Passage & Climate Change, by Thorleif Thorleifsson, Norwegian Explorer
University of Washington, Seattle
Thorleifsson provided a lecture and facilitated a roundtable discussion on climate change in the Arctic as witnessed by his recent circumnavigation of the Arctic. Thorleifsson, Norwegian Naval Academy graduate, sailor, navigator and explorer, gave a background on the history of Norwegian exploration in the Arctic, particularly Canada’s Northwest Passage, and the impact of climate change on this region of the world. He noted the significant difference in ice experienced by early and contemporary explorers.
Co-Sponsor: U.W. International Relations & Protocols, Office of the Provost
15 March 2012 – The North American Idea: A Vision for a Continental Future, by Dr. Robert Pastor, Director of Centre for North American Studies, American University, Washington, D.C.
Seattle, Washington
This roundtable discussion, facilitated by R. Pastor, American University, focused on his book, The North American Idea: A Vision for a Continental Future (2011). The future of the United States is linked to the future of its North American neighbors on security, economic, and political issues. Pastor argued that our continent is far more complex than economics might lead us to believe. He discussed with attendees, including the Canadian and Mexican consul generals, the enormous potential and challenges to creating a truly North American community.
Co-Sponsors: Pacific Northwest Economic Region; Consulate General of Canada, Seattle
10-12 April 2012 – From Horizon to Region: Trails and Their Role in the Construction of Pan-Arctic Inuit Identities, by Claudio Aporta, 2011-12 Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Chair
10 April 2012 – University of Portland, Portland, Oregon
11 April 2012 – Willamette University, Salem, Oregon
12 April 2012 – Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Oregon
The role of U.W.’s Canada-U.S. Fulbright Chair is to provide cutting edge research to the larger Canadian Studies community in the Pacific Northwest. As part of this mandate, C. Aporta travelled to three institutions part of the Pacific Northwest Canadian Studies Consortium speaking to classes and at public events. Aporta’s research concerns the Inuit experience of the Arctic which is deeply rooted in a sense of homeland, ethnic identity and the struggle to generate sustainable livelihoods. Aporta’s lectures explored this connection to the Arctic environment through an analysis of how Inuit, using traditional knowledge, have navigated trails from the Bering Strait, to Canada, to Greenland, developing a sense of pan-Arctic identity. He emphasized the emerging and important role of the Inuit today in geopolitics facing the Arctic region particularly aspects of what constitutes territory.
Co-Sponsors: U.W. Office of Global Affairs; U.W. Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences; U.W. Graduate Fund for Excellence and Innovation; U.W. Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
16 April 2012 – The Alberta Tar Sands, Treaty Rights, and International Dimensions of Keystone XL, by Shi-Ling Hsu,
Professor of Law, University of British Columbia
University of Washington, Seattle
As part of the UW Law Through Global Eyes roundtable discussion series, Professor Shi-Ling Hsu provided a lecture and led a roundtable discussion on the Alberta, Canada oil/tar sands. Both events drew explicit comparisons between how the United States and Canada approach carbon regulation and energy development.
Co-Sponsors: The Washington Journal of Environmental Law and Policy; GreenLaw; UW
Native American Law Student Association
10 May 2012 – Canadian Arctic and Inuit in the Hearts of Cartoonists, by Terry Mosher (AISLIN), Canadian political cartoonist, Montréal Gazette
University of Washington, Seattle
The Arctic and its people occupy a very special place in the hearts of Canada’s ordinarily wicked cartoonists. Cartoonists delight in the magnificence of Canada’s northern landscape while fretting over the fragility and possible exploitation of its original peoples. In this lecture Mosher discussed the history of editorial cartooning and the unique role of the Arctic and Inuit in Canadian cartooning. AISLIN is the name of Terry Mosher’s elder daughter, and the nom de plume he has used for over forty years as the political cartoonist for Montreal’s English-language newspaper, The Gazette. Having authored 44 cartoon books Mosher is also the current president of the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists.
Co-Sponsors: Consulate General of Canada Seattle; Pacific Northwest Canadian Studies Consortium; Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
11 May 2012 – Foodland Security in Arctic Canada, by Barry Pottle, Inuk photographer, Nunatsiavut, Canada
University of Washington, Seattle
Pottle’s presentation provided an overview of Inuit in urban centers, specifically Ottawa. He addressed the challenges and successes faced by urban Inuit, and the ability of the Inuit to have access to country food for personal consumption including for events, conferences, and meetings organized by Inuit organizations. As climate change and urbanization of Canada’s Inuit impact the health and availability of country foods, this has become a major issue in terms of health and cultural concerns even touching on human rights. Pottle’s presentation utilized images from his own photography of country foods.
Co-Sponsors: Consulate of Canada, Seattle
24 May 2012 – The Chinese in Canada: A Legacy of Nation-Building & Discrimination, by Kenda Gee, Canadian filmmaker
University of Washington, Seattle
Kenda Gee, co-producer and director of The Lost Years: A People’s Struggle for Justice, an award-winning Canadian documentary film, provided a lecture on Chinese contributions to nation-building in Canada both historically and in contemporary society. He also focused on the legacy of discrimination experienced by the Chinese Canadian community. The lecture was part of an American Ethnic Studies course taught by Connie So, Lecturer.
Co-Sponsors: U.W. American Ethnic Studies
Professional Development for K-12 Educators & Community College Faculty
2-7 July 2012 – 34th Annual STUDY CANADA Summer Institute for K-12 Educators
Ottawa, Ontario & Montréal, Québec
First offered in 1978, 2011 marked the first year that STUDY CANADA was hosted in Ottawa, Ontario, with a daytrip to Montréal, Québec and used the thematic “A Capital View of Canada: Nations within a Nation” reflecting additional program content on Canada’s diverse regions and peoples. Fifteen participants registered for the program in 2012 and learned from distinguished Canadians throughout the week – a blend of university faculty from University of Ottawa, University of Québec at Montreal and Western Washington University as well as government officials from a variety of Canadian federal ministries and notable dignitaries such as the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, the former Premier of Québec, Bernard Landry, and Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Orleans, Royal Gallipeau.
Co-Sponsors: Government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Université du Québec à Montréal; Herff-Jones Nystrom; Pacific Corridor Enterprise Council
12-13 July 2012 – 2012 Community College Master Teacher Institute – Global Education for a Sustainable Future
University of Washington, Seattle
The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, in partnership with the Northwest International Education Association, offered the 9th annual Community College Master Teacher Institute at the University of Washington. Nineteen faculty, from as far away as Spokane, participated in the Institute in an effort to increase international content in their courses. Representing a wide-range of disciplines from sociology to geography to biology, the faculty expressed a need to prepare college students to deal with the global challenge of sustainability. Presentations by U.W. faculty and other experts, covered a broad range of climate change impacts focused on Indonesia, Darfur, Canada and the Arctic, Central Asia, China, and Japan. U.W. presenters included F. Lorenz, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and UW Law School; C. Lowe, U.W. Anthropology; N. Fabbi, Canadian Studies Center; A. Taranath, English; and D. Abramson, Urban Design and Planning.
Co-Sponsors: Title VI National Resource Centers, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies; Northwest International Education Association
Film Screenings / Art Exhibitions
28 April 2012 – Savage, by Lisa Jackson, Canadina Anishinaabe filmmaker
University of Washington, Seattle
Lisa Jackson, Canadian indigenous filmmaker, provided a lecture and screening of her film as part of the 11th Annual Symposium of Native & Indigenous Scholarship at the University of Washington. Savage is about a young Canadian girl’s experience at a residential school in Canada in the 1950s. Jackson provided a history of residential schooling and the healing process occurring in indigenous communities in Canada today.
Co-Sponsors: U.W. Native Organization of Indigenous Scholars; Native Voices Documentary Film Program; U.W. Graduate Opportunities Minority Affairs Program (GO-MAP); U.W. American Indian Studies
28 April 2012 – The Cave, by Helen Haig-Brown, Canadian Tsilhqot’in filmmaker
Helen Haig-Brown, Canadian indigenous filmmaker, provided a lecture and screening of her film as part of the 11th Annual Symposium of Native & Indigenous Scholarship at the University of Washington. The Cave is set in the early 1960s in the Chilcotin territory of British Columbia. About 25 local members of the Tsilhqot’in Nation are cast as the inhabitants of the afterlife scene in the meadow. The film is shot in director Haig-Brown’s native Tsilhqot’in language. The Cave, is an official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and of Berlinale 2010, and in 2009 was named one of Canada’s Top Ten (Short Film) by the Toronto International Film Festival. The film provided audience members with a sense of the culture and lives of the Tsilhqot’in Nation in Canada.
Co-Sponsors: U.W. Native Organization of Indigenous Scholars; Native Voices Documentary Film Program; U.W. Graduate Opportunities Minority Affairs Program (GO-MAP); U.W. American Indian Studies
7-30 May 2012 – The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Polar Lines Inuit Editorial Cartoon Exhibition
University of Washington, Seattle
Polar Lines exhibition was created in 2011 to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Canada’s National Inuit Organization, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Terry (AISLIN) Mosher researched Canada’s national archives for historic illustrations of editorial cartoons featuring Inuit and Arctic themes. The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami selected the top 100 cartoons for the Polar Lines exhibit. A description of each cartoon is translated into the Inuit language and French. The exhibit portrays social justice issues in the realm of political cartooning challenging governments and corporations regarding their relationships to Canada’s Arctic residents.
Co-Sponsors: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Canada; Consulate of Canada, Seattle; U.W. Libraries
23 & 24 May 2012 – Lost Years: The Chinese Diaspora in Canada, by Kenda Gee & Tom Radford, Director, Producer, Writer
Seattle, Washington
Lost Years is an epic documentary touching upon 150 years of the Chinese diaspora in Canada, USA, New Zealand and Australia, covering four generations of racism as revealed through the journey and family story of Kenda Gee. Kenda, a Chinese Canadian, travels with his father to China to retrace the steps of his great-grandfather, exactly a century ago, and grandfather, who sailed to Canada in the summer of 1921. For thousands of Chinese immigrants that year, it was a journey of hope that turned into a nightmare when they were confronted with racism and the head tax, depriving them of their rights as citizens. Kenda has been the Chair of Edmonton’s Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act (Redress) Committee since 1998.
Co-Sponsors: Seattle International Film Festival
6 June 2012 – Canadian Studies Student Awards Luncheon
University of Washington, Seattle
The Center’s annual luncheon brings students and faculty together to highlight the successful studies and research in Canadian Studies. The sharing of research and experiences builds a strong Canadian Studies community on campus and future alumni base.