Brielle Beaudin-Reimer, ©UWinnipeg
UWinnipeg alumna and Masters of Arts in Indigenous Governance graduate Brielle Beaudin-Reimer is one of 40 young leaders invited to participate in the prestigious Generation SDG Summit hosted by the Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI) from April 21-25.
The Generation SDG Summit brings together voices from different disciplines, generations (half of the participants are under 30), and geographies to address pressing global challenges. The main goal of the summit is to discuss ways in which Canada can implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
Beaudin-Reimer graduated from the University’s MAIG program in 2015 and currently works as a policy analyst for the Masters of Arts in Indigenous Governance (MMF). She says she is honoured to have been selected to attend the summit and is “thrilled to be part of the important and engaging conversations regarding sustainable development in Canada.”
During the five-day conference, she hopes to bring an authentic voice as a Métis citizen and advocate for the inclusion of diverse Indigenous perspectives, partnerships and knowledge systems as important components to achieving sustainable development in the current era of reconciliation in Canada.
“I plan to learn a lot from the diverse group of people who will be attending and hope to contribute by sharing my perspectives and lived-experiences from my own Métis community and up-bringing, through my education and research, and my work as a policy analyst,” she said.
Beaudin-Reimer sees a clear parallel between the goals of the summit, her work with the MMF, and her research during the MAIG program. Her thesis research focused on Métis traditional food-related knowledges and traditional harvesting practices from a food sovereignty lens in Manitoba.
“I see food, and more specifically, traditional foods and food systems, as a dynamic proponent for sustainable development,” she said. “My work as a policy analyst has enabled me to see the impact of research, policy, and the need for evidence-based policy development that more accurately depicts the diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada.”
Dr. Shailesh Shukla, MAIG Chair and Beaudin-Reimer’s thesis supervisor, says her work is a good example of the program’s multidisciplinary approach to governance.
“Brielle acquired unique experience of learning and weaving unique Métis knowledges and perspectives on Indigenous food systems into academy, interdisciplinary community-based research and valuable lived experiences during MAIG,” Shukla said. “Her life and work continue to inspire young Métis and Indigenous women in academy and Canadian society.”
